Kingdom Hearts Dissidia Duos: Dawn to Twilight
by Mike AZ 2
Summary: Sequel to Kingdom Hearts: Dissidia. When a mysterious phenomenon strikes, Sora's daughter embarks on a quest of her own, aided by Baron's Prince Ceodore, Sora and his old friends and the Warriors of Cosmos. Rated T for safety.
1. One Year Later

Kingdom Hearts Dissidia Duos: Dawn to Twilight

The Sequel to Kingdom Hearts: Dissidia. I can't promse that it will be as epic or great as my first Kingdom Hearts/Dissidia: Final Fantasy crossover fic, but you can be assured that I will do my best not to disappoint you.

Disclaimer: Squaresoft developed the Kingdom Hearts Series and the two Dissidia: Final Fantasy games.

Just so that you know, " indicates dialogue, thoughts are ', and _ indicates change in character point of view.

Pairings: Terra/Lightning, Sora/Kairi, Ventus/Aqua, Roxas/Xion, Cloud/Tifa, Zack/Aerith

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><p>Prologue: One Year Later<p>

A year passed since Sora and friends saved the worlds from Chaos's warriors. Sora and Kairi had wed, and a new government was formed at Radiant Garden.

The Land of Departure was also restored, Ventus, Aqua and some of their allies remained to establish a defense force and train new young hopefuls to become Keyblade Masters to watch over the world order.

Terra, Ventus and Aqua's best friend, had left to hone his skills and train to become stronger in spirit. He still kept contact with his old friends, even as he and his companion Lightning journeyed and trained together.

Tidus and Yuna lived together on Destiny Island with Riku and Namine.

In the next four months since that year passed, Sora and Kairi dated whenever they could in between Sora's adventuring and Kairi's busy schedule. All was well.

One night, Sora spoke with Kairi in their new bedroom at Radiant Garden's castle.

"Had a good day, Kai?" smiled Sora.

His wife smiled back"It was much busier then I was used to when we lived on the Islands. Suppose Riku's doing okay?"

Her husband replied"Yeah, as a matter of fact, he's competing in an election to become the next Mayor in our hometown. The old Mayor is getting up there in age."

Kairi giggled"He's as competitive as ever, but I like it when you guys never change. Oh, and I have something to tell you."

"What is it?" said the brunette.

Kairi smiled"I'm pregnant, Sora. Looks like we're going to be parents."

Sora glanced at her tummy, which was bigger then when they last talked"That's great, Kairi. Do you know if it's a boy or girl?"

"Nope, so no buying toys and/or clothes until we know, all right?" grinned Kairi.

Sora beamed"It sounds great that we're having a family."

"Yeah. Anyway, we should probably turn in, good-night Sora" said Kairi.

The pair drifted off to sleep until dawn.

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><p>Mount Ordeals in Cecil's world is quiet and serene. A brunette Keyblade Master periodically trained side by side with a pink haired female Swordswoman and a male blond Dragoon.<p>

The brunette, having overcome the last of his darkness, felt as though he needed to train both body and soul. There was little for the three of them to do but train, think, or converse.

Zombies proved almost no threat to them, they had become accustomed to the dangers of the mountain.

One day, as they trained, one of the brunette's old friends, a younger man with blond hair, showed up.

"Terra, hi" called the man.

"Oh, hey Ven" smiled Terra.

The pink haired woman and the dragoon stopped their activities to greet Ventus.

The brunette spoke"So what brings you here?"

Ventus replied"This morning, Aqua and I got word from Sora that they're having a child. I brought a letter if you'd like to read it."

"What for? You just informed us of the contents" said the pink haired woman.

"Yeah, I know, but there's more to it" said Ven, handing the letter to Terra.

Terra scanned the note, and said"Well, congrats to them. How's Aqua?"

Ventus smiled"She's doing pretty good, we wanted to invite you to our wedding, but you didn't answer when you sent a letter by Gummi Ship. Cloud's running a delivery service from Radiant Garden."

Terra nodded"That's thoughtful of you, but the two of you should go ahead without me. There is a secret on this mountain, apparently, but I have not yet found it."

"Aqua would've liked to see you more often. You and Lightning have been busy, huh?" frowned Ven.

Terra replied"It's all right, you can tell her that I'm still alive."

"Okay. Anway, would you like to spar? We haven't done anything together for a while" said Ventus.

Terra nodded"You're on."

Terra and Ventus took out their keyblades and began to duel. Lightning addressed the Dragoon"I've been away for a year, myself. Kain, shouldn't you go check on Cecil and Rosa in Baron?"

The Dragoon shook his head"I'm still not ready."

"I see. Well, I should be going back to Gran Pulse to visit my sister soon when Terra's done sparring" said Lightning.

Nearby, Terra and Ventus exchanged a few more blows, the brunette smiled as he yielded"Looks like you've still been training well."

"Thanks, Terra. Will Aqua and I see you later, then?" inquired the blond.

Terra replied"We'll see. Light, is there anything else you wish to do together?"

The pink haired woman replied"Up to you, but we really shouldn't distance ourselves from our home worlds for too long."

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><p>Three months later, Sora was finishing a task for the King of Baron at Cecil's homeworld when Aerith contacted him telepathecially"Sora, Kairi has gone into labor."<p>

"Really? I'll be there as soon as I can" said Sora.

"Your mother is there, too, along with others. She, Yuffie, Tifa and I bought some clothes and toys for the child anyway. Be back here as soon as you can" said Aerith.

Sora boarded the Gummi Ship he was using and headed back to Radiant Garden. He disembarked and hurried to a makeshift infirmary where Kairi was now awaiting her child.

"How is Kairi?" inquired Sora.

His mother, June replied"She'll be fine, Yuna and Aerith are serving as her midwifes."

Sora waited outside the room next door until Yuna opened the door"Sora, you can come in. Kairi is fine and you two now have a little girl."

The brunette smiled and walked in to see Kairi sitting on a bed, holding her's and Sora's child. June followed in close behind.

"Congratulations, Sora. She has a low birth weight, but your child is perfectly healthy otherwise" said Aerith.

June smiled at her new grandchild and addressed Kairi"Did you two pick a name yet?"

Sora replied"We picked one. How does Serenia sound?"

"Serenia... That has a fine ring to it. Sora, Kairi, congratulations" smiled the new grandmother.

Sora smiled"It's great having a family like this."

Kairi breathed"I wonder if she'll be more like you or me."

"Who cares?" said Sora.

"You're right, we're blessed as it is" said his wife.

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><p>Though peace was brought back and reigned for a long time, Sora and his friends were soon to deal with a new mystery.<p>

In a distant, unexplored world, living in a deserted castle was a mysterious figure with bright sapphire eyes, violet hair which is flecked with white and clad in blue and black garmets. With him, he held a keyblade of unknown origin.

The man was deep in thought'Three thousand years have nearly past with thirteen short years until the three thousandth. Soon, the moon will be eclipsed by the light of the sun, and I shall break the curse brought upon me and the worlds'.

A man with pinkish hair apporached him"You hired me, didn't you?"

"Yes, do you know why I summoned you?" spoke the mystery man.

"Merely something about the Stone of Secrets, not that I really care" said the pink haired man.

The mystery being responded"As a survivor of an ancient war which originally caused the separation of worlds, I brought about a plague which enacts darkness and nightmares to those sensative to it."

"Oh, come now, you called us here for that?" said a blond woman.

"Be still, the whereabouts of the shards of the artifact listed are still unknown to me. With it I can unlock the hidden mysteries of the world order which might remain uncover, and perhaps unlock the secrets of Kingdom Hearts" said the man.

The pink haired man addressed the blond woman"Arlene, you heard him. So tell me, what is your plan?"

"Upon the thirteenth year, select worlds will become eclipsed in twilight, then the artifacts of secrets will be revealed. I will not stop until I can return true light to the worlds" said the man.

Arlene scoffed"Stuff of legends, huh? Not very believable, but I'm in. Now, you know my name is Arlene, the man next to me is Lumaria, might I ask you yours?"

The mystery man replied"My name was lost to history, but some call me Tua Sanhille. Now, my companions, we wait till the thirteenth year, and we'll plan on unlocking the forgotten mysteries of the World Order."

"Very well" said the pink haired man.

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><p>Okay, not too bad for the start of a Kingdom HeartsDissidia Final Fantasy crossover sequel. I wasn't going to do this until after I completed the other fics on my profile, but I'm not confident with the other fics on my profile.

As for the new supposed antagonist, I will explain more about him over the course of the next few chapters. Arlene and Lumaria sound as though they could fit with Marluxia and Larxene's names, no? I take back my thought about what Luxord's real name could have been, maybe it was Dorlu.

I have no idea who the villain for future kingdom hearts games will be after the Xehanort Saga. I imagine that if it was a Wielder of Light, I don't think he or she would be as bad as Xehanort, but perhaps he could be an extremist who believes that he's doing good for the worlds.

Though the fic will center on Sora's daughter for most of the fic, Sora and many of the others will be in the fic. Other OCs may also be included

Ceodore will also play a role, even though he might not ever be in a Kingdom Hearts game. Keep in mind that this won't be related to my Final Fantasy IV:The After Years novelization.

Please feel free to review. Let me know what you think so far. Oh, and forgive me for changing one of the characters' names at the last minute, I just thought a different name would work for the OC in question. If that violates the guidelines, please don't hesitate to tell me straight, okay?


	2. As Time Goes By

Hey, another day and another chapter. Thanks Silver Magician of Chaos for adding this to favorites.

I've been kind of wishy-washy last chapter, but now I know what I'm doing. Anyway, here's the gist of how I will go about this fic, thoughts will be represented by ', spoken word is ", and _ indicates either change in character point of view or a lapse in time.

Disclaimers may seem redundant, but Kingdom Hearts and Dissidia Final Fantasy were created entirely by Squaresoft.

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><p>Chapter I: As Time Goes By<p>

Sora forwent adventure as he and Kairi spent as much time with Serenia. The Queen of Radiant Garden's schedule was often busy, so Sora took charge of his and Kairi's daughter's upbringing with June's help.

Ventus and Aqua were married during the past three months, and soon had a son.

Terra knew that his relationship with Lightning was considered a forbidden love, since contact with other worlds was forbidden. But he could not help but persist in their friendship.

On Destiny Island, Tidus and Yuna had two twin kids of thier own. The couples were all happy together with their respective kids. Despite that fact that Riku and Namine became a couple, Nobodies could not bear offspring in the same manner as their fully human selves, but neither they nor Roxas and Xion were troubled by this.

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><p>Serenia, under the guidance of her father and grandmother, grew and matured for thirteen years. She had red hair the same color as her mother's, and came to admire her father. Though their lives were peaceful, Serenia felt a small burden of having a hero for a father, but she admired him.<p>

When the teen was considered old enough, Kairi addressed her husband"Sora, when do you plan to give Serenia her formal training?"

"This isn't kids stuff, Kairi. Besides, aren't you worried by the prospect of her becoming a Keyblade Master?" inquired the brunette.

"Only a little, but don't forget that I am a Keybearer myself. But I can't deny that I won't have a moment's peace if she were to follow in your footsteps and become a hero like you" said the queen.

Sora wrapped Kairi in his arms in embrace"I know how you feel, but I swear to protect you both with my life."

Kairi smiled as she hugged her husband back"I know, Sora."

"Father?" squeaked a voice as Serenia entered.

Sora and Kairi turned to their child. Sora addressed her"Good morning, do you need something, Serenia?"

The girl hesitantly spoke"Sorry for interupting, but I wanted to talk to you about something."

Kairi inquired"What is it?"

Serenia replied"I was just thinking... I want to join the defense force at the Land of Departure."

"Didn't we talk about that yesterday?" said Sora.

"I know, but I want to be just like you" said the little red head.

Kairi interjected"Sora, I think we should be more supportive, don't you think? It's our duty as parents after all."

Sora gave the subject some thought before speaking to Serenia"If it's what you want, I know Aqua and Ven would look after you. Just remember, you are the crown princess of this world. There may be those who will use your status for it."

"Really?" beamed Serenia.

"First I have to teach you the basics of swordplay, though I'd rather I didn't go hard on you. I will write a letter to send to Aqua, she is one of the leaders of the new World Order Defense Force at the Land of Departure" said Sora.

"Thank you, daddy" smiled the teen.

Sora went to the study, where he composed a letter to send to the bue haired Keyblade Master.

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><p>At the Land of Departure, Aqua had taken the liberty to expand the castle to accomodate potential Keyblade Masters as well as her family. Her friend and husband Ventus helped keep their new organization running with Isa, Lea, Roxas and Xion's help.<p>

Roxas and Xion held vigil at the Land of Departure's castle's entrance while occasionally going to twilight town on a date in the evenings.

At Aqua's room, her son, a fourteen year old with the same hair color as his mother's and his father's eyes and hairstyle, addressed her"Master Aqua."

The blue haired woman looked up from where she was reading a book on her bed"Yes, Tyler? You don't need to be formal with me outside training you know."

"Yes, mom, I know. Anyway, someone sent you a letter" said Tyler, holding out a yellow envolope with the Radiant Garden Kingdom's seal on it.

"Thank you, let me take a look at it" said Aqua, rubbing her son's hair affectionately.

Tyler giggled as he handed the letter to her mother. Aqua opened the envolope and read the contents.

"What does it say, mother?" said Tyler.

Aqua studied the letter for a minute before replying"Little Serenia is really taking after her father. Her training is to begin, looks like our academy is going to have a new student."

"Really? What's she like?" inquired Tyler.

Aqua replied"Why don't you get to know her when you meet? I will send a reply to Sora, and make arrangements to welcome the princess."

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><p>Two more days passed as Sora began teaching his daughter the basics of using a sword. The first few hours were tough, twice Serenia got a splinter from her wood sword so Sora had to heal her. He feared that Kairi would let him have it if he went too rough.<p>

During one sparring session, Sora smiled"Got the hang of it, yet?"

"I think so, dad. Or should I call you Master Sora?" inquired Serenia.

"Nah, you don't have to. Okay, let's take a break" said the brunette Keyblade Master.

The two went to town to buy some lunch and some Sea Salt Ice cream for dessert. As soon as they were done with their outing, a spikey blond approached"Sora, you got a reply from Aqua."

"Thanks Cloud" said Sora, acceping a letter. The brunette inspected it after paying Cloud with some leftover Munny from his wallet.

"Am I in?" said Serenia, curiosly.

"Aqua's taken it into consideration. Let's get ready and go to the Land of Departure" replied Sora.

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><p>Sora, Kairi and their daughter boarded the Ragnarok II the next day and flew to the Land of Departure.<p>

When they got there, Kairi turned to Serenia"You know, you're still kind of young to be going to school full time. Are you sure you don't want to stay home another year or two?"

"I'll be fine, mom" said the younger red head.

As the three disembarked, Cid addressed Sora"Want me to wait for you, Sora? Cloud's asked me to deliver another message to Terra at Cecil's homeworld before we left."

"You can go ahead, Cid" replied the brunette.

As Cid piloted the Ragnarok II away, Serenia and her parents walked into the castle of the Land of Departure, where they were greeted by a familiar light brown haired man"Yo, Sora, it's been a while."

"Same to you, Ven. This is Serenia" said the brunette.

"Nice to meet you, Master Ventus" said Serenia.

"You can just call me Ven when not in class. Aqua's waiting for you" said Ventus.

The group went to the grand study, which is being used as Aqua's workplace.

"Aqua" said Ven, getting the blue haired woman's attention.

She looked up from where she was doing paperwork"Oh, hello Sora. Serenia, welcome to World Order Defense HQ."

The small red head smiled"Thanks, I wanted to follow in my dad's footsteps."

"Becoming a Keyblade Master is a admirable dream, one that my friends and I shared in our youth. If you pass the entrance exam, I'll foster you in as a part-time student, how's that?" inquired Aqua.

"I'd love to" smiled Serenia.

Just then, a dark blue haired teen entered the room"Hi, I heard that you were coming."

Serenia turned to the teen"Oh, hello, I'm Princess Serenia. May I ask you yours?"

"Just Tyler" said the teen.

"Well, now we got the introductions out of the way, would you like a tour?" smiled Aqua.

"I would like that" said Serenia.

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><p>The Sanctuary of Harmony, in one of the far reaches of the world order, was tranquil as always.<p>

The Warrior of Light, Quinn and the Deity of Harmony, Cosmos watched over the world order. They had come to a mutual agreement in their relationship, though the steadfast Warrior of Light only shlyly admited his fondness for the light.

Cosmos, ever vigil on her throne, felt a foreign sensation from far away, she raised her head towards the ceiling.

"My lady?" spoke Quinn.

Cosmos replied"I wish it were nothing. A troubled soul yearns for everlasting peace at a remote world."

"Is there danger?" frowned the Warrior of Light.

The Deity of Harmony spoke"Alas, an eon year-old curse is to manifest, one which upsets the balance between darkness and light in the world order. What this curse entails, I know not, but the time for us to protect the worlds will come again sooner then you'd think."

"I'm afraid don't understand" said Quinn, confused.

Cosmos stood up"It is inexplicible, what this ancient soul is after. But more pressing then that is that of Count Droul of Twilight Town is in league with the mysterious individual and two more former Organization XIII members. I fear we face a great peril from the rift between darkness and light."

"Now you mention it, I had a waking dream of a power beyond that of even darkness. What action must we take?" inquired the Warrior of Light.

Cosmos replied"The Stone of Secrets, a forbiden artifact of the world order, must not be taken lightly, I do not know what it is capable of. I will contact Sora. Quinn, you must find Cecil, Kain and Lightning. They should be able to help return balance between Light and Darkness before harm befalls the worlds."

"I will do everything in my power" said the Warrior of Light, preparing to open a portal to Baron.

Cosmos closed her eyes for a moment as she thought while Quinn left'I only hope that this vision proves wrong.'

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><p>Well, it's getting late. Sorry if this is a slow start. Anyway, like I said, this won't be directly related to my Final Fantasy IV: The After Years Novelization. I changed an OC's name (well, he's not really going to be an OC, I'll explain in another chapter).<p>

Anyway, since it's a sequel, I'll think about throwing Noel Kriess into this fic. I don't know much about that Final Fantasy XIII-2 character though, and I apologize if I got his last name wrong. As for more pairings, I'll go with Hope/Vanille. I'm aware Hope/Lightning may be more popular then Hope/Vanille, but I already paired her with Terra in Kingdom Hearts: Dissidia. I might even do Ceodore/OC, but I'll need to think about it. Ideas and suggestions are welcome.

Please feel free to review.


	3. Trouble at Twilight Town

Mike AZ 2 here, another chapter of Kingdom Hearts Dissidia Duos is ready to go. This chapter is a bit of a step-up from the last one. Anyway, thoughts are ', " indicates spoken dialogue, and _ indicates change in character point of view and/or lapse in time.

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and Dissidia: Final Fantasy are the work of Square Enix.

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><p>Chapter II: Trouble at Twilight Town<p>

In Twilight Town, a world with eternal Twilight, all was quiet and calm as it had been. Roxas and his girlfriend Xion bought two Sea-Salt Ice Cream bars and hung out on the Clock Tower overlooking the town. Xion breathed"It's as pretty up here as always, don't you think so Roxas?"

"Yeah, it still reminds me of our time in the old Organization XIII. Sure was a bad group, come to think of it" sighed the light brown haired Nobody.

"But it's when we first met, right?" smirked Xion around a bite of ice cream.

"Point taken. Anyway, how do you think everyone else is doing?" inquired Roxas.

The dark haired girl replied"Same as ever. But seriously, we don't talk about much these days, huh?"

Roxas flushed"Yeah, well, there just wasn't much to think about. By the way, what did you think about Sora and Kairi's kid?"

"Serenia? She's very cute, though we haven't been to Radiant Garden lately. I'd say she's more like her father, but has the traits of both parents" smiled Xion.

"Yeah, and Tyler's quite energetic at times. Anyway, we should probably head back soon" sighed Roxas.

Xion nodded, and the two slowly finished their ice cream. Roxas got up to teleport back to the Land of Departure with Xion when he saw a figure moving past the tower.

"What's up?" inquired the black haired girl, seeing him look downward.

Roxas shrugged"Thought I saw someone. Probably just my imagination."

Xion tossed aside her popsicle stick"As members of the new World Order Defense Force, isn't it our job to investigate anything suspicious?"

"What's so suspicious about a passerby?" frowned Roxas.

"Just curious, I guess. Beside, don't you think Saix, er, I mean Isa would want to know the latest news we can deliver? Besides, I think I recognize that individual" said Xion.

"All right, let's do some patrolling" smiled Roxas.

The pair teleported down from the tower, following the figure's shadow down a few streets before coming to a small tavern, far south west of the Sandlot. Roxas barely caught a glimpse of the passerby, a tall blond man wearing brown robes over his clothes. The male Nobody frowned"His aura dosen't feel too familiar. But what do you think?"

"Dunno. Anyway, isn't Pence running this tavern?" said Xion.

"Let's go visit" said Roxas.

The two stepped into the bar, which had a small casino upstairs. A few people occupied the bottom floor at the various tables. The Bartender, a black haired man with a bandana recognized Roxas"Hey, what's up?"

"Pence, it's been a while. How are Hayner and Olette?" smiled Roxas.

"Same as ever, the two got together last year after last season's Struggle Tournament. Me? I was asked to help run this tavern for some paltry sum of Munny, but I'm not complaining, since I get to hear some juicy gossip" said Pence.

Roxas shrugged"I bet, so have you seen a blond man enter just now?"

Pence replied"Yeah, I hear he's a real shady character. Not many people pay that much attention to him, the guy's a notorious gambler and card player, but they say he dosen't play fair."

"Mind if we look around?" inquired Xion.

Pence smiled"Be my guest, the Casino is upstairs if you want to check it out, I've been there myself a couple times. Have fun with your girlfriend, Roxas."

The two Nobodies headed upstairs at the corner of the Tavern. The Casino consisted of several slot machines, and some tables and chairs where people played cards at. Sitting at one large round table with a booth was a cocky blond with his two friends. The cocky man said"Yo, what's up? My Dicsiplinary Committee is on the lookout for suspicious activity. Actually, I was thinking of playing a game of cards myself, want to try your hand at poker?"

"Wait, here come more new players" said the silver haired woman at the man's side. A brunette, a silver haired man, and a blond man with a mustache, goatee and brown robes sat near them.

"Hey, Seifer, you here to play?" smirked the brunette.

"Hayner, I bet you're just causing trouble as always. Am I right, Fujin, Raijan?" smirked Seifer.

Hayner scowled"As if."

"Hayner, don't listen to him" said another voice as a woman apporached.

"Ah, stay out of it Olette" sighed Hayner.

"Looks like everyone's got game, today. Hm, Hayer, right? Would you and your friends care to join us?" said the silver haired man, who wore a trenchcoat over his clothes.

Olette shrugged"I'm not a fan of gambling, but a game of cards couldn't hurt."

Most of the group sat down, Hayner smiling as he noticed Roxas"Hey, want to play?"

"You're on, it's been some time Hayner" said Roxas.

Roxas and Xion sat down, while the blond man dished out some cards from his pocket"Some of us shall play Poker, which I specialize in and will play. Anyone up for a game of Rummy? Only four players can partake in Poker, after all."

"Okay. But, do I know you?" said Xion.

The blond man grinned"I get that sometimes, but I guess I could say the same for you and your friend. Allow me to introduce myself, by the way, my name is Droul."

"I might as well tell you mine since some of you may not already know, I'm Setzer" said the silver haired man.

The group sat around the table and played the respective card games. Roxas joined Droul, Seifer and Fujin in Poker, playing with both their cards and Munny. Xion watched nervously from where she was playing with Hayner, Raijan, Setzer and Olette"Do you think this guy really cheats? I heard of him."

"Ah, don't sweat the details. If someone cheats, we'll sneak our money back" grinned Setzer.

"I suggest you be careful what you say" said Droul, who currently has most of the Munny his group bet.

"CHEAT" snapped Fujin, suddenly glaring at the blond gambler.

"Oh, you hurt my feelings, what makes you say that? sneered Droul.

"You didn't follow through with your bets, ya' know?" said Raijan.

Droul stood up"Well, looks like this game's over. I have the pendant which you gambled away, not knowing it's purpose, Fujin. Wheere'd you find such a thing?"

"It's a gift for Princess Serenia that I bought from the jewelry shop yesterday for Sora. I gave it to Fujin to hold on to" sighed Roxas.

"Well, I had a good old time. No hard feelings" said Droul, standing back.

Seifer flared up as he stood, growling"I'm putting this cheat of a gambler on Twilight Town's blacklist. Dead or alive, preferably alive so that I can teach him some manners!"

Droul reached into his pocket and pulled out a card with a dart hidden in it's edge"Be careful to not bit off more then you can chew. Roxas, it was good to see you again."

"Luxord! I thought it was you" gasped Xion.

"It's Droul to you now, poppet" said the blond gambler, tossing the dart at Xion.

Setzer skillfully grabbed the card and tossed it back"A skilled card player can always spot cheaters. You've made a tremendous mistake."

Droul pocketed his spoils, just as a pink haired man approached"Got the pendant, Droul? My client needs it's hidden magic to unlock forbidden powers, whatever that means."

Roxas summoned his keyblade"You're not going anywhere."

"Oh? Is that you, Roxas?" smirked the pink haired man, drawing a scythe.

"Marluxia, Luxord, it dosen't need to be like this" said Xion.

"Xion, get everyone out of here. I'll deal with these two" said Roxas.

"My name is Lumaria, the graceful Assassin. Few who face my Scythe live to tell the tale" said the pink haired man.

"Lumaria, that's pretty girly for a guy like you" said Xion.

"Watch it" growled Lumaria, swinging his scythe at Xion.

Roxas intercepted the blow with his keyblade, the dark haired girl gasped"Thanks, I'll go after Droul. Keep Lumaria busy."

Roxas and Lumaria fought, while Xion chased the blond gambler downstairs. Droul turned around, and pulled out a loaded dice"I have something for such an occasion. It was truly good to see you and Roxas again, girl."

Droul activated an explosive mechanism in the dice and threw it at Xion. The black haired Keyblade wielder rolled under it before surprising the gambler with an upward slash. The man staggered before draing what looked like a rod with a spade on it"I am prepared for many occasions such as this. Now, let's see how you deal with my new Shock Spade."

Xion dodged as Droul slashed before throwing another explosive dice. The female Nobody shot it out of the air with fire before thrusting her keyblade. Pence groaned as he watched"The old bar owner's not gonna like this."

"Hey, forgetting someone?" Setzer had caught up, throwing a spiked card of his own as the blond gambler. Droul dodged before throwing a hard dice at Setzer. Xion hit the hostile blond with an ice spell before slicing downward with her keyblade.

The injured man staggered"Hmph, the pendant's not worth the trouble. It was supposed to respond to hostile forces, but I surmise that evil can't use it."

Lumaria teleported behind him and said"That pendant is one Artifact which Master Sanhile requires. Come with me, no need to fight any longer with these fools."

Before anyone can stop them, Lumaria hurled a smoke bomb before using a teleportation stone"Before the day is through, the worlds shall be eclipsed!"

Roxas came down, only to find that he was too late"Doggonit, we fell into his trap!"

"They weren't the only ones, Lumaria mentioned someone called Sanhille. We need to report this back to the castle at the Land of Departure" said Xion.

* * *

><p>Later that day, at the Land of Departure, Sora, Ventus and Aqua were touring the Land of Departure with Tyler and Serenia. Just as they were finishing on the grounds, Roxas and Xion appeared.<p>

"How was your date?" inquired Aqua.

Roxas sighed"Terrible, but let's not talk about it in front of the kids."

Kairi nodded"I understand. Tyler, Serenia, would you like to come with me to the main audience chamber?"

As Kairi headed back to the castle with the kids, Roxas reported"Xion and I followed a suspicious man into Twilight Town's tavern, seems he and a guy named Lumaria are working for someone called Sanhille."

"Sanhille? You mean, Master Yoran Sanhille? I read about him when I was little. He is an ancient Keyblade Master who supposedly fought in the Keyblade wars on the side of Light. But hearing this from Roxas, I wonder if it's really the same guy, the Keyblade War was eons ago" said Aqua.

"I don't know the details, but Lumaria mentioned something about an eclipse" said Roxas.

"Perhaps the eclipse you speak of is part of an ancient cataclysm that once cast a powerful curse on the worlds" said a vocie as the Deity of Harmony appeared.

"Cosmos?" said Sora.

Cosmos nodded"The mysterious warrior set his sights on a very ancient artifact called the Stone of Secrets. What's more, the infamous Assassin, Lumaria: the Count and underground con man Droul, and the Valkyrie Arlene have joined forces with him. They formed a powerful group with some other mysterious individuals."

Roxas interjected"Droul stole a pendant, does that have anything to do with it?"

"Yes, but then again, perhaps not. The pendant in question is really a crystal of unknown power, those with darkness in their hearts can never use it. Regardless, we are up against some potent enemies, even more powerful then Chaos himself I believe" sighed Cosmos.

"We'll deal with them, Cosmos. Our defense force is ready for anything" grinned Sora.

"I am happy to hear that. Still, you must beware, I fear that Sanhille may succeed where Chaos did not" said Cosmos, vanishing.

Sora sighed as he addressed Aqua"This is bad news, I have to tell King Mickey and Riku about this and figure out how we're going to protect the worlds this time."

"I'm not sure we can prevent the catastrophe which Cosmos informed us of. Anyway, Tyler and Serenia are still only new students, so Ven and I are limited in how we can help" sighed Aqua.

Sora grinned"No problem, Riku, Mickey and I can handle things from here. Anyway, I know Serenia hasn't gone through the first exam yet, but can you still teach her the way of the Keyblade? She already learned some of the basics from me."

The blue haired Keyblade Master replied"We'll do our best. Good luck."

* * *

><p>At the mystery realm, Lumaria confronted Droul"That was a grave mistake, now Sora knows of our plan."<p>

"You underestimate us, " said a deep voice as a man with purple hair and dark and purple clothes showed up.

"Let's not be so hasty, Caius" said Sanhille, entering the room.

"Show some more love to your dogs, or they may bite you someday" said a silver haired man with white clothes.

Sanhille spoke to him"Kuja, right? I trust you and Arlene gathered warriors to help with my plan."

Kuja smirked"Indeed. Ex-Soldier Weiss is at your command, also joing us are Caius here, and some other potential warriors. What is your plan once you gather the so-called artifacts of the worlds?"

"We shall see, but true light shall soon return. If what you say is true, the darkness shall be purged" said Sanhille, leaving the room.

'Don't count on it for too long, Kuja. You and him may get stabbed in the back yourselves' thought the silver haired Ex-soldier.

Kuja smirked as he thought'Hm, I know these self-rightous types, they claim to know the answers and such. Truly, this shall be an amusing delight, Cosmos and her ilk will never know what hit them.'

* * *

><p>How's that? I may have originally planned to use an OC protagonist when I wrote the summary, but Sora's still a major character for this fic. The Twilight Town scene was just to spice things up a bit to make up for how slowly this fic is starting out. Also, I needed to add some more back story to the plot.<p>

Again, I don't know too much about the new cast of Final Fantasy XIII-2, so Noel and Caius will likely be somewhat OOC.

Aside from throwing in some elements from Dirge of Cerberus, Final Fantasy XIII-2, and Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, the rest is a surprise for now. I'll likely use a few Disney worlds in this fic.

Please feel free to review.


	4. An Unexpected Journey Part 1

Hey there, another chapter is ready to go. As a reminder, spoken dialogue is ", thoughts are ', and _ will indicate change in point of view, or lapse in time.

Disclaimer: Dissidia: Final Fantasy, the Kingdom Hearts series, and Dissidia 012 Duodecim: Final Fantasy were created by Squaresoft.

* * *

><p>Chapter III: An Unexpected Journey-Part 1<p>

Aqua and Ventus arranged a basic training session for Serenia and Tyler, Sora watched over the proceedings as his daughter was listening to Aqua's instructions"Basically, you'll be staying here a couple days at a time, Serenia. My teacher let me, Ven and Terra live here for our training".

"I can handle it, I really want to become a Keyblade Master like my father, is that a problem?" inquired the young red head.

Aqua shook her head"No, but it takes great commitment to train almost every day. Now, why don't you and Tyler pair up for this exercise? The two of you will show me your skill with your wooden blades, this practice duel will end when one of you gets too tired, or you tap your oppenent very lightly."

The two teens walked to the center of the chamber. Sora, Aqua, Kairi and Ventus watched as Serenia and Tyler faced each other. The dark blue haired teen spoke"Hey, no hard feelings if one of us loses, okay?"

"Same to you" said Serenia.

The two took out their training weapons. The sparring session lasted for five minutes as Serenia and Tyler parried and lightly swung at each other. Tyler began to hold back, only to have his practice sword knocked out of his hand, the small red head was confused"Why did you hold back, Tyler?"

The male student shrugged"I just didn't have the nerve to hit a girl."

"If you don't go all out, how will you learn?" sighed Ventus.

Aqua interjected"You're both pretty good, but not all of our sessions will involve using your keyblade. Serenia, you and Tyler have the potential to make it as true Keyblade Masters, I expect nothing more then your best. Now, Serenia, do you know how to use restoractive magic? I'm afraid you nicked Tyler in the wrist."

The red haired pupil flushed, then remembered the basic curactive magic lessions she'd learned from Sora. Serenia focused, then cast cure on her classmate, healing a small bruise she had caused. Sora watched the whole thing, then addressed Aqua"Well, Cid should be back with the Ragnarok II bu now, how was it?"

Aqua replied"It was all I could think of for the entry test. Anyway, without a keyblade, Serenia won't get much of an education. Tyler inherited the Bright Crest blade, which chose him shortly after Ven performed the ceremony for him. Sora, do you have an extra key?"

Sora thought for a moment, then addressed Kairi"We still have the Oathkeeper, right?"

"Yeah, but I'm not sure Serenia is old enough to have a Keyblade of her own" sighed Kairi.

The younger red head piped up"I'll try to be careful with it. But how exactly do Keyblade Masters get their first Keyblade?"

Aqua replied"Good question, Ven already had his when he studied under two different Keyblade Masters, each at a different point in life. Some I believe inherited their keyblades from previous masters, other occasions are where the keyblade chose it's wielder. We all know that a Keyblade can choose who it wants to belong to, so the latter happened more often then the former."

Sora summoned the Oathkeeper Keyblade and motioned to Serenia"You ready for this? The ceremony I'm about to do is just a recommendation to the key from what Riku and I discovered, that was part of the reason the Kingdom Key chose me and not him. Serenia, will you accept it, even though it won't necessarily guarantee that you'll be able to wield the keyblade?"

Serenia nodded, then walked closer to her father. The brown haired man knelt and held the keyblade out, Aqua had helped Sora learn how to properly do the ceremony during a prior visit for future reference. Sora instructed the small teenage girl"In your hand, take this key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking... its wielder you shall one day be."

As Serenia placed her hand on the Oathkeeper's handle, her father smiled"You're really growing up fast, Serenia. I'd say I've rubbed off on you."

Serenia giggled as she released her hold on the Oathkeeper"So you noticed."

Just then, Cid entered the room"Sorry to keep you, we're ready to go when you are, Sora."

Sora nodded, then he and Kairi turned to Aqua. The blue haired Keyblade Master spoke"I'll be happy to look after Serenia if you need me to."

"We're going to be pretty busy, I'll tell my mother that Serenia is staying here" said the brunette hero.

"Can't I come?" inquired Serenia.

Sora shook his head, but put a hand on her shoulder"It might be too dangerous at your age, but maybe when you're older we'll go on an adventure together. I will leave the Oathkeeper here, you'll be in safe hands."

The two hugged, then parted as Kairi addressed her daughter"Be good for Aqua, okay Serenia? Roxas and Xion will also be here."

"I promise, mom" said the younger red head. Kairi smiled and hugged her daughter briefly.

As Sora and Kairi left with Cid, Aqua turned to Serenia"There aren't that many rooms in this castle, so would you be okay sharing one with Tyler? I hope you'll become good friends."

Serenia nodded, then said"Yes, Master Aqua."

The two kids were led by their teacher to one of the rooms in the Land of Departure's castle, Aqua addressed them"This is where you'll be staying together. Whenever you need to change clothes, one of you will need to wait outside while the other changes. I will have a sleeping bag sent in tonight."

"Thanks, but when are we going to learn something new?" inquired Serenia.

Aqua replied"Tomorrow, perhaps. I've seen your skill in the keyblade so far, you're as bright as your parents, Serenia. Would you like to join me, Ven, Roxas and Xion for lunch this afternoon?"

"Sure" beamed Serenia.

* * *

><p>Sora and Kairi took off in the Ragnarok II and flew to the Disney Castle. Sora addressed Kairi"I just realized, shouldn't we take you back to Radiant Garden?"<p>

"It's okay, Leon and the others can handle the everyday stuff" his wife replied.

When they landed at the grounds, Sora was greeted by a familiar duck mage and dog knight.

"Hey there, Sora" smiled the dog humanoid.

"Donald, Goofy, it's great to see you again" said Sora.

"How's your kiddo?" inquired Goofy.

Sora replied"Serenia's doing fine, she's starting her training at the Land of Departure."

Goofy smiled"Ya' must be mighty proud."

Sora responded"I didn't want to leave her behind, but we got word that the worlds are in trouble again."

"If it's Heartless or Nobodies, we can take 'em. King Mickey had a bad feeling about something yesterday and contacted Riku" said Goofy.

"He's here already?" gasped Kairi.

Donald replied"You bet, the gang's getting together again. Riku came here by the king's Gummi Ship with Mickey."

The friends walked through the grounds and into the castle. They made their way to the throne room where King Mickey, Queen Minnie and Riku were waiting.

"Hello, Sora" smiled the king of Disney Castle.

Sora beamed"King Mickey, it's nice to see you. Hey Riku, how are things at the islands?"

"Same as ever" replied the silver haired Keyblade Master.

Sora addressed Mickey"Did you hear the news?"

Mickey shrugged"Trouble's brewing somewhere, Master Yen Sid contacted me telepathically. The stars apparently told him that an unknown force is bent on upsetting the balance between darkness and light, what's more is that it's the work of an ancient soul from the past."

Sora replied"The Deity of Harmony, Cosmos told me a bit about it. The culprit's name is Sanhille, but we don't know what he's after besides something called the Stone of Secrets."

"Oh no!" squeaked a voice as two chimpmunks entered the throne room.

"What's wrong, Chip?" Minnie addressed one of the chipmunks.

Chip replied"The sky's gone all wierdish, it really scared the daylights out of me and Dale!"

Sora interjected"Let's go check it out."

The group rushed out of the throne room to find a silvery light piercing the center of the courtyard. What was worse, several Samurai Nobodies appeared. Sora summoned his Kingdom Keyblade"Think you can win?"

The Samurai Nobodies lunged at the group. Riku took down two, while Sora and Mickey dueled two more Samurais. Donald held another Samurai at bay while Goofy tossed his shield at it. As they wiped out the Nobodies, the pillar of light spread to the sky, Sora was astonished"Is this part of the Apocalype?"

"I'll open the chamber to the Hall of the Cornerstone, the Cornerstone's power should hold that encroaching light back" said Minnie.

"Take me with you" said Riku.

As Minnie and Riku rushed back into the castle, Sora fought off a group of Shadow Heartless which suddenly appeared. A group of Darkballs appeared in their place, which Sora took out with an expert Rising Sun technique.

"What's taking Riku so long?" sighed Donald as he kept his allies on their feet with his magic.

"Let's just hope we can stop the flow of heartless" replied Goofy.

The skirmish lasted for what seemed ages, Riku and Minnie had run into trouble in the castle with some powerful Heartless. But Sora and his group were beginning to tire as they now fought Defender Heartless and a group of Dragoon Nobodies, even though they did their best to fight back.

Sora sighed"I could take on a thousand heartless any day, but this is ridiculous!"

Just then, as a defender Hearless stomped towards Sora, it disappeared as something smashed it in the neck. The rest of the heartless were obliterated by magic, as light emerged from Disney Castle. When the dust settled, Kairi and Sora saw a mysterious light brown haired warrior standing there, accompanied by two more people.

Sora gasped"Thanks, but who are you?"

"I'm Noel Kreiss" said the warrior.

"Sora, It's me, Serah Farron" interjected one of the other two people.

"Serah? How did you get here?" said the brunette Keyblade Master.

"I brought them here" said the third, but familliar newcomer, who had blond hair.

"Vaan! How've you been?" said Kairi, recognizing the man.

The Sky pirate grinned"I saw that weird light emmiting in the Lanes Between, so I came here. I picked up Noel and Serah, who are looking for Lightning."

"Lightning's missing?" gasped Sora.

Vaan shook his head"Not exactly, Terra is still with her as far as I know, they probably had some trouble they they needed to take care of. Penelo and Laguna were also picked up, they're in my ship, which is back in the hanger. It malfunctioned from that strange light, though."

"Well, any friend of Sora's is welcome here. Would you like to stay with us?" chirped Mickey.

"Thank" said Vaan, heading back to his ship to let the rest of his party know.

Sora sighed as he thought about revent events'Is that what Cosmos warned me about?'

Kairi put an arm around him"I guess we're now on, huh?"

"You bet" said Sora.

Mickey shrugged"Well, let's take a breather in the castle and discuss our strategy."

* * *

><p>At the Land of Departure, Serenia and Tyler spent three days training under Aqua and Ventus's tutelege. Serenia learned a variety of basic spells, while Tyler learned some of his father's wind-based techniques.<p>

One night, Serenia was having a strange dream. In the dream, she saw flashbacks of a man with violet hair, flecked with white. In another part of the dream, she saw Terra, Aqua, Ventus and many others warring in the background against a horde of monsters of unknown origin.

At the dream's end, she saw herself, Sora, and several others facing the monstrous form of some unknown armored figure, a flash of light emmited from it. The dream shot her awake, she was in a bed in one of the castle's rooms, while Tyler was resting in a sleeping bag nearby.

The red head frowned'That was bizarre, I wonder if- Father! He could be in danger!'

As she got up, Serenia walked over to Tyler and shook him"Hey, wake up."

"What's wrong?" yawned the blue haired boy.

Serenia replied"It's important, I had a strange dream. We gotta go, I fear the worst for my parents."

Tyler stood up"You're not thinking of going out are you? We're only apprentices, you know. If we get caught sneaking out, we might get punished. Besides, this is Sora we're talking about, I heard he's a great warrior."

"I know, but I have to do something. A man who I never even saw before has appeared in my dream, I fear that he might be after everyone" said Serenia.

Tyler relented"All right, but the Oathkeeper is kept in the master room. We might get caught, but we can try sneaking there."

Serenia sighed"Well, here we go."

The two went out into the hallway and went left umtil they came to a closed door. Tyler whispered to his friend"I'll open the door as quietly as I can."

The male student opened it slowly, the pair snuck into the room where they saw something encased on a nearby table. Suddenly, a voice whispered behind the pair"Hey, just because you're Aqua's students dosen't give you the right to just roam the place before morning, got it memorized?"

Serenia spun around"Lea?"

The spikey haired red head smirked"Surprised? I was assigned patrol duty for the night."

"Something wrong?" the light turned on, and Ventus stood there, yawning briefly.

Tyler looked sheepish"Um, hey dad. Serenia had a vision of some kind."

"What kind of vision?" frowned Aqua, who was now awake.

Serenia explained the dream to Aqua, who was perplexed"I sensed it, too. Sora might need more help then ever."

Tyler shrugged"So now what, mom? Am I grounded?"

"No, Tyler. But you two will remain here with us until we can rally the defense force. Serenia, try calling the keyblade your father left with your mental power, maybe it will accept you as it's owner" said Aqua.

Serenia focused as she outstretched her arm. When she opened them, the Oathkeeper Keyblade materialized in her hand. Ventus was astonished"Like father like daughter, it looks like you're in for something great."

"Really?" said the young red head.

Aqua replied"Maybe it's your destiny to become the Oathkeeper's new wielder, Serenia. Let's meet in the kitchen in an hour, we have a lot to do, and we can't just abandon your training."

Serenia turned to the right and swung it lightly, surprised at how light it seemed. Ventus smiled"You're becoming a true Keyblade Master now, Sora may be surprised."

* * *

><p>My apologies for the cliffhanger, it was getting late. The next chapter will take place where this left off.<p>

Anyway, please feel free to review.


	5. An Unexpected Journey Part 2

Mike AZ 2 here, the next chapter is up and running. As a reminder: thoughts are ', spoken dialogue is ", and _ indicates change of scene or point of view.

Just so that you know, there are spoilers for the final chapters of Final Fantasy IV: The After Years. While there are some elements from that game, it's not directly related to my Final Fantasy IV: The After Years novelization, which is on my profile.

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts, Dissidia: Final Fantasy and Dissidia Duodecim are the products of Squaresoft.

* * *

><p>Chapter IV: An Unexpected Journey-Part 2<p>

An hour later, Serenia, Tyler, Aqua and Ven met up in the kitchen. Aqua addressed the two teens"So what did you have in mind when you came to Ven's and my room?"

Tyler flushed, he knew he could not lie to his parents. Serenia interjected"I want to do my part in whatever my father left to do. Besides, I kind of want to see other worlds."

"I can't blame you, but I think you should've waited a few more hours, you weren't supposed to be up that late" said Ven.

Aqua addressed Serenia"It will be far too dangerous, you two are only apprentices. If you go, you should take someone with you to make sure you're safe."

Serenia sighed, then reluctantly said"Okay, so who's coming?"

Ven interjected"Roxas and Xion could keep you company. I'll likely come along to help with your training and keep an eye on you."

Aqua sighed"But Ven, I almost lost you once."

"I'll be okay, Aqua, you have to watch over this world, right?" grinned Ventus.

The blue haired Keyblade Master nodded"Well, we had best wait until sunrise. It's just about dawn now, so we'll have an early breakfast at seven thirty. For now Serenia, you and Tyler will do a bit of jogging, Ven will supervise you. A little exercise is good for you after all."

"Yes, Master Aqua" said Serenia.

As the two kids went outside with Ventus, Lea addressed Aqua"So what's the plan?"

Aqua replied"Lea, you and Isa can help me, right? We may be short-handed, but we could still help defend the worlds from the unknown forces encroaching on the world order."

Lea shrugged"Can't say I understand everything myself. Isa and I will do our best, you can guarantee it."

Aqua smiled"I know I can count on my friends, let's get everyone else here together and discuss further action. I will write Sora a letter and have Ven deliver it if possible, once Serenia is done with her jogging."

"Oh right, what was that about?" said Lea.

The blue haired Keyblade Master replied"Serenia and Tyler broke a rule, getting up in the wee hours of the morning. That was a small penelty I gave those two, but it's also an exercise they needed to do to wake up more."

"You're really subtle, aren't you?" said the spikey red head.

* * *

><p>At Disney Castle, Sora and his group were getting situated on current events and what course of action to take. Sora addressed Riku"So how's Namine doing?"<p>

"She's okay" replied Riku.

"Sora told me you were competing to become the next mayor of our home, Riku, how did it go?" said Kairi.

Riku shrugged"I was able to secure the job and help around the islands. But then I got a letter from Mickey requesting help with some unknown, but hostile, forces, so I left things in Namine's hands. She insisted on being my secretary, so we could be close to each other. Tidus and Yuna are also taking care of things."

Sora smiled"We're all okay so far, so now what?"

"Sora, Riku, there is even more trouble" said a voice as Cosmos appeared.

"What's the trouble?" piped Vaan.

The Deity of Harmony replied"I asked the Warrior of Light to find Cecil, Kain and Lightning to help us against the new threat. But unfortunately, he went missing, I suspect that a strange force invading Cecil, Golbez and Kain's homeworld is responsible for it."

"Missing? How can that be?" piped Kairi.

"Ah, let's not sweat the small stuff. All we gotta do is find him and help assemble the other warriors" smiled the dark haired man, Laguna.

Cosmos nodded"I am glad I can count on you all, but there is more I must say. I felt Cecil's spirit wane for a moment before another, stronger force invaded his consciousness, some alien force has grabbed hold of him and, I fear the worst, Quinn."

Sora sighed"So we have to go to Baron and save then."

"Sora, I am grateful for your aid" said Cosmos.

As the Deity of Harmony left, Sora sighed"I guess It's up to me. Riku, take Kairi back to Radiant Garden and Tell Leon and the others about the mysterious man, Sanhille."

"Will do, just don't get killed" said Riku.

Kairi interjected"But Sora, I want to come with you."

"I want you to be safe for Serenia's sake if something happens to me" said Sora.

His wife sighed"Okay, but be careful." The two of them shared a long kiss, before Sora addressed King Mickey and the others.

Mickey was surprised"We sure have a lot of friends to help."

Sora nodded, then turned to Noel and his group"Are you up for this?"

"You don't have to ask" replied Vaan.

Laguna smirked"Let's mosey onward."

Serah addressed Sora"I may not have as much experiance as you and Noel, but I can be of help."

"What about your sister? Shouldn't you help her?" said Sora.

Noel interjected"Serah's sister is fine if this 'Terra' is helping in whatever they could be doing. I will help you deal with Caius while we're at it if we run into him."

Sora smiled"All right, let's head on out."

"Sora, good luck" said Goofy.

As Sora and Riku's groups left the room, Minnie addressed Mickey"So what next?"

King Mickey replied"I'll go join Riku eventually, he'll need help when he's done with his business at Radiant Garden. Minnie, I know it's a lot to ask, but I have to go soon."

"I understand, just be careful" said Minnie.

* * *

><p>A few hours passed at Radiant Garden as Aqua wrote Sora another letter and gave it to Ventus"I realize that we don't know which world Sora is visiting right now, but can I count on you?"<p>

"No problem, Aqua" said Ven.

Serenia was about to protest"But Master Ventus, you said you'd come with us!"

Ven put a hand on her shoulder"I know, but I will catch up on my Glider after I give Sora the letter Aqua wrote him."

Roxas addressed the small red head"Xion and I have a Gummi Ship set up and ready for this world. Serenia, what we're doing will be dangerous, so let Xion and I deal with any monsters that show up okay?"

"But I inherited one of my father's Keyblades, can't I help?" said Serenia.

Aqua interjected"This isn't something a thirteen year old should be doing, try to stay out of trouble, okay?"

"We will, mom" piped Tyler.

Ventus beifly hugged Tyler, then summoned his armor and glider before leaving the Land of Departure with a small envolope in his pocket.

Serenia, Tyler, Roxas and Xion went to the mountain south of the castle, where a medium sized light blue and white Gummi Shp was waiting for them. Serenia was astonished"It's beautiful."

Xion smiled"You think so? Cid built it, and Sora had the ship sent here to make travel between worlds easy. This model is called the Radiant Light."

The four entered the Seraph of Light, which consisted of a main hall with the cockpit in the front, and three to four small rooms. Tyler was amazed to see the vessel's interior, which was painted a simple gray and black tint"Look at that, Serenia."

"Black isn't my favorite color, but the design is still neat" remarked the teenage red head.

"Let's go to the bridge, the sooner we get moving the better" said Roxas.

Roxas and his group entered the bridge, where there were several seats. Serenia piped up"Can I drive, Uncle Roxas?"

"You're a little young for that, and aren't I more of a brother then an uncle to you?" said the older man, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, sorry Roxas" giggled Serenia, sheepishly.

Roxas noded"Let's fasten our seatbelts and get ready for takeoff. I will set the ship's auto pilot so that I can help with Tyler's and your training, Serenia."

The four sat in their chosen seats, Roxas took the controls as he input some coordinates into the ship's computer systems. Xion addressed the male Nobody"Roxas, do you have a particuler destination in mind?"

Roxas shrugged"We'll hit Cecil's homeworld if possible, it should be safe enough outside Radiant Garden. I just hope Sora wouldn't mind us taking the two kids along so they can get in some training."

Xion put a hand on her boyfriend's for a second"There shouldn't be too much trouble, just think of this as our latest mission, okay?"

When Roxas put in the coordinates and started up the ship, they took off. Serenia sighed"Is this your first time outside The Land of Departure, Tyler?"

"Yeah, the stars are pretty" replied the blue haired Apprentice.

* * *

><p>While Riku took Kairi on Vaan's ship back to Radiant Garden, Sora's group boarded the Ragnarok II. Cid addressed the brunette Keyblade Master"That was quite a shocker, huh? That light storm packed some punch, wherever it came from."<p>

Noel interjected"We don't have much time for introductions. We must leave soon and find our allies."

"Ah, don't you get all worked up. Sora, we're taking off now, right?"

Sora replied"We're heading for Baron."

Cid nodded, then activated the Ragnarok II"All right, let's head on out."

The heroes on the Ragnarok II left the docking bay of Disney Castle and took off. Penelo addressed the male Sky Pirate"Sure you're okay with Riku borrowing our ship?"

"It's fine, Penelo. We just have to concentrate on finding Kain and the others, right?" grinned Vaan.

The ship flew not more then a mile or two before Cid spotted an armored figure leaving the Land of Departure from the window of the bridge"Hey, is that one of our allies?"

Sora checked"Yes, and I think he just saw our ship. Cid, could you open the docking bay doors for us?"

"No problem, I'll have to shut it almost as soon as he's in though. Wouldn't want us to become space dust or anything" remarked the blond pilot.

Outside, the armored figure, the armored figure saw the docking bay door of the Ragnarok II open and flew in. Sora rushed to the room to meet the figure"What's up? How did you find us?"

The armored figure took off his helmet"Hey, Sora, there is something you need to know. I just left when I saw your ship almost fly by."

"What is it?" inquired Sora, seeing Ventus's expression.

The blond Keybearer fully removed his armor, took out a letter from his pocket and gave it to his friend"Aqua wanted me to give you this, it's about Serenia."

Sora opened the envolope, took the letter and read it's contents. When he was finished, the brunette sighed"If it was anyone else but you and Aqua, I'd be even more worried then I am now about sending Serenia off on an adventure without my permission. did she say where Roxas and Xion are going with Serenia and Tyler?"

"Nope, but I just saw them head in the direction you're facing. I think Cecil's homeworld is that way, along with the other worlds of the Final Fantasy universe" said Ven.

Sora held out his fist"It's no problem if we're headed the same way, I'll just have to help protect the two apprentices. Ven, how 'bout a lift?"

Ventus gently bumped Sora's hand"Deal, now let's get moving and be on our way."

Sora and Ven went to the cockpit where Noel greeted them"How did it go?"

"Turns out Roxas is headed the direction we are, let's meet him at Baron and find Quinn" grinned Sora.

"All right, I'm gonna set the ship to full speed" said Cid.

* * *

><p>The Radiant Light sped on at full speed until it came to a blue tinted planet with an unexpected sight. A large brown mass was slowing advancing towards it, Roxas groaned"Trouble already, that moon dosen't look like it's in it's right orbit. It's going to collide into that world."<p>

Serenia paled"So now what?"

Xion sighed"The Radiant Light's weapon systems are not on par with the Ragnarok II's. We wouldn't be able to stop it."

"Oh no, we're being pulled towards the moon!" cried Tyler.

Roxas turned the ship's autopilot off and sharply turned the steering controls to the right, but the moon's gravitational pull was too powerful to escape. The male Nobody sighed"We're gonna have to abandon the Radiant Light, Sora will have to rescue us. Serenia, Tyler, Xion, hold my hand!"

The four joined hands as the Radiant Light started to fall towards the moon and vanished into a dark corridor. When they emerged, they found themselves south of a town with a castle north of it, the sky above was an unnatural yellowish color. Monsters with small swords appeared and attacked.

"Thunder!" Xion blasted three goblins back while Roxas took down two more. Serenia brandished the Oathkeeper and cut through the rest.

Roxas glanced at the nearby castle, which beifly glowed before returning to normal. Xion sighed"Something is wrong in that castle, let's check it out."

"Take us with you" interjected Tyler.

Roxas shrugged"We don't have much choice, just stay close."

The four charged into the castle. They went straight, ignoring side passages until they came to the throne room. Roxas and his group was surprised to come across a strange scene: A familiar Paladin and a blond Dragoon were inside, but they weren't alone. They were accompanied by a blond woman in white, a blue haired teen with a red and white scarf and dark blue clothes, an older man with a white beard, and another blond.

"Ah, looks like we have more guests" said the Paladin. Roxas could tell the paladin was Cecil, but something was wrong. On one side of him was a light blue haired woman, and on the other was a familiar warrior with dark armor, a horned helm and a yellow cape.

The mystery woman made no comment, Roxas could sense that she was about as human as as a Organization XIII Nobody.

Cecil spoke"Quinn? Oh, that dosen't matter. Welcome, Roxas, Xion."

Roxas summoned his Keyblade and pointed it at the Paladin"Tell me what's going on."

Cecil sighed"This is unexpected."

The mystery woman addressed the Dragoon"We had a deal, hand over the crystals."

To Xion's astonishment, the mystery woman stole some crystals from the Dragoon. The Paladin spoke in such a way that Roxas realized that he was in some kind of trance. The Dragoon lunged at the Paladin, only to be knocked backwards by the warrior with the horned helm. The older blue haired teen pulled out his sword and pointed it at Cecil, much to the Paladin's 'chargrin'.

In the few seconds that followed, the Paladin and the man with the horned helmet brandished their own blades. The group, except Serenia and Tyler, charged at the two swordsmen. Roxas and Xion engaged the Warrior with the helmet, but he was equal to them as they fought.

As the older blue haired teen clashed with Cecil, the Dragoon and the blond woman backed him up with jump attacks and white magic respectively. Serenia was shocked'How can this be?'

While Roxas crossed blades with the warrior, Xion realized that the blue haired mystery woman was not doing anything. The female Nobody sened a flow of magic energy from her"Roxas, if we kill the monster that's controlling Cecil and the Warrior of Light, they should snap out of it."

Roxas sighed as he barely dodged an incoming Shield of Light technique"Got it, be careful Xion."

Before the Nobody could get far, she found herself paralyzed by dark magic coming from the blue haired mystery woman. Nearby, Cecil was driven back to his throne, the Paladin spoke"I can see you're serious." With that, the Paladin channeled magic energy from his body and summoned an Eidolon warrior on a horse.

"What the heck?" said Roxas, kicking the Warrior of Light backward before charging at Cecil. The Paladin saw him coming and slashed horizontally at the male Nobody. Roxas barely deflected the sword with his keyblade before countering with a fire spell.

Nearby, the rest of the group clashed with the Eidolon. Serenia summoned the Oathbtraker keyblade and charged into the fray, only to be knocked backwards. The older blue haired teen healed the young red head"You okay?"

"Yes, thank you" said Serenia.

As the fight dragged on, a voice echoed through the Eidolon before it seemed to turn on Cecil and the Warrior of Light. A yellow flash briefly emmited in the room before the Eidolon vanished. Cecil collapsed unconcious, while the Warrior of Light staggered backwards. Roxas was astonoished"What was that about?"

"Cecil!" cried a voice as several more people entered the throne room. Among them was a light brown haired man in black.

"Rydia" smiled the blond woman.

Rydia smiled"Nice to see you, Rosa."

Serenia addressed the older blue haired teen"Oh, my name is Serenia."

"My name is Ceodore, I'm part Lunarian" replied the teen.

"What's a Lunarian?" wondered Tyler.

The man in black confronted the light blue haired woman, who addressed him"You're alive."

The Warrior of Light blinked a few times before he spoke"Roxas, Xion, thank you. You have my apologies, I was spaced out."

"Nice to see you back to normal, Quinn" smiled Xion.

Nearby, the mystery woman glowed with potent magic energy, attacking the man in black.

Some of the group tended to Cecil while Ceodore, Serenia, Rosa, Rydia, the man in black and a blue clad ninja challenged the Mysterious Woman. The mysterious being zapped the group with thunder spells, meteor and, oddly enough, Eidolons. Rosa kept her allies on her toes while the others fought back.

The Warrior of Light intervened with a Shield of Light to the Mysterious woman, who retaliated with Firaga. Rydia attacked their adversary with a Thunder Eidolon. Ceodore focused his energy before charging at the Mysterious woman, ending with a vertical slash before being countered by Flare. Serenia attempted an attack, but missed.

As the teenage red head was knocked back, two more people entered the room: Ventus and Sora. Serenia gasped when she saw the brunette Keyblade Master"Father?"

"We'll talk later" said Sora, healing Serenia while Ventus unleashed a combo on the mysterious woman. Rosa and Rydia channeled magic energy and unleashed it on the monster. The resulting explosion was so great, that the heroes' mystery adversary collapsed.

The ninja breathed"We did it."

"Not quite" said the man in black.

Several more beings that looked like their fallen opponent appeared. The mysterious girls took the crystals and vanished, along with their dead comrade.

Serenia faced her father"I can explain, I wanted to help."

Sora sighed"This battle could've killed you, I don't know what I'd do if you had..."

"I know" said Serenia.

The man in black knelt down at Cecil's unconcious form"Cecil..."

"That man is...!" gasped the Dragoon.

"Golbez!" breathed Rydia.

As the group introduced themselves to one another, Xion addressed Sora"How'd you get here? A strange moon has pulled our Gummi Ship onto it's surface."

Sora replied"The same thing happened to the Ragnarok II, I barely managed to get out of there on a smaller gummi ship, Ventus came with me."

A woman in red and pink clothes addressed the blue clad man with the white beard"So now what? We can still get the crystals back, right?"

"We don't have the technology, Luca" replied the man.

Golbez interjected"There's a way, I came here on the Lunar Whale."

Serenia beamed"So we can retrieve the captured ships."

Sora responded"Yeah, but we have to save this world first. Oh, and Serenia, why did you come here?"

"I just wanted to help, so Roxas, Xion, Tyler and I came here" said the small red head, guiltily.

Sora put a hand on her shoulder"I thought this might happen, you really take after me. Just don't rush headlong into situations you're not ready for, all right?"

Golbez spoke"Not to interrupt, but we should be on the move, that moon is going to crush this world soon. We must retrieve the crystals and find a way to alter it's course."

The Warrior of Light nodded"Indeed."

"How do we even get to the moon?" inquired Luca.

Golbez replied"There's a way, the Lunar Whale is landed not far from Baron."

"But what about Cecil?" said Xion.

"We'll take him with us" replied the Dragoon.

"Kain, Quinn, have you seen Terra and Lightning?" inquired Sora.

Kain shook his head"They disappeared shortly before I met Ceodore, but I am sure they're alive."

"I see" sighed the brunette.

Roxas turned to leave"So what are we waiting for? The moon has to be stopped."

Sora addressed Serenia"You can come with us if you want, but I think you should focus more on training. I don't know everything that happened at the Land of Departure and at Baron, but I want you to be more careful."

"I'll try" said Serenia.

The heroes left the throne room, taking Cecil's body with them.

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><p>Okay, I have the next chapter up and running, the action is beginning to pick up. Anyway, most of the characters here will have a minor role, but Cecil and Kain will make appearences in future chapters from this point. I know I didn't use Terra or Lightning much, but they will appear at some point. Also, I think I made Noel a bit OOC.<p>

Sorry if I'm being wishy-washy again, but I thought maybe a poll like the ones I deleted were not such a good idea.

Please feel free to review.


	6. The Lunar Subterrane

Okay, I'm ready to post the next chapter.

Kingdom Hearts and the Dissidia games are created by Squaresoft.

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><p>Chapter V: The Lunar Subterrane<p>

Sora and his friends left Baron Castle, accompanied by the two Warriors of Cosmos they recently rescued and the former Chaos Warrior, Golbez. Roxas, Xion, Sora, Serenia and Tyler joined some of their allies on the bottom floor of the Lunar Whale.

The flight was thus far uneventful. Though Cecil was freed from the Mystery Woman's influence, he was mysteriously zombified. Ceodore, Rosa, Kain and Golbez tended to the ailing Paladin.

On board, Serenia and Tyler were listening to Ventus's instructions as they continued their training. The Lunar Whale flew steadily towards the large moon up ahead, until it began to shake.

"What's happening?" gasped Tyler.

The shaking started to become more volatile, Serenia and Tyler were about to go complain to Luca and her teacher about their bad driving when they were thrown across the ship as it seemed to crash.

"Tyler, Serenia, you okay?" said Ven.

Serenia nodded"Yeah, so now what?"

"Let's go upstairs and talk to Sora and the others about it" sighed Ven.

Upstairs, the others had also been thrown by the impact, which they managed to recover from. Sora, who was watching over Cecil with Kain, Ceodore and the others, addressed Rosa"So what's the plan?"

"Not all of us should go, we should decide who will explore this moon and who should stay on board" replied the Baronian White Mage.

Sora shrugged, putting a hand on the Kingdom Key as he spoke confidently"I will go on the active team, we'll do what it takes to save your world from whatever is controlling the moon."

"Cecil, what do you think?" said Ventus. The Paladin stared blankly in response, which triggered a confused response from Ventus about Cecil's current behavior.

Golbez shook his head"He has become an empty shell, we have to form a party quick and find the cause of the moon's unnatural orbit."

Rosa stood by Sora"Take me with you, Rydia can come as well, you'll probably need our magic. Kain, Golbez, Edge, you're with me as well."

As Rosa and Sora's team made ready to leave the Lunar Whale, Serenia sighed as she stood off to the side"I cannot just sit here, I will come on this mission myself."

"It's way dangerous, you're not ready for this. I'm sorry, Serenia, but you have to train and wait until you're older before going on adventures. I'll be back as soon as I can" said Sora, hugging his daughter.

Sora and Rosa's group left the Lunar Whale, while Serenia remained on board to train under Ven's instruction. But as the hours passed, the young Key Bearer began to grow anxious. Roxas and Xion held their vigil downstairs with a group of ninjas who were under King Edge of Eblan's command.

Ceodore, who stood at his father's side, shifted his gaze towards the exit of the ship before addressing Ventus"I'm going to reinforce my mother's group, I've been sitting here in self-pity for too long."

"I don't see any problem with that" said Ventus.

Serenia walked towards the right exit of the Lunar Whale, when Tyler interjected"Are you sure you should be going? We don't want the grown-ups to have to worry about us."

"Well, I'm bored. Besides, isn't this what we're being trained for? Defending the worlds I mean" frowned the young red head.

"I had no idea Sora has such a stubborn kid, you get that from your old man don't you?" said Ven, amused.

Serenia nodded"Forgive me, Master Ventus. But I must go and make sure my father's okay, and please don't try to talk me out of it."

The blue haired quarter-Lunarian approached her"I can protect you, it is my mandate as a member of the Red Wings to protect people. I will find a way to cure my father and save my world."

Cecil, who had listened up to this point, strode up to the three. Serenia turned to address the semi-zombified man"You're coming with us?"

The Paladin nodded, prompting a pink-haired woman, who was watching to remark"Wow, guess Cecil still understands what's going on even under his current state."

A brown haired black mage shrugged"Ah, what the heck? Let's form a secondary team then and join Rosa's group."

"We're with you two" said a voice as two monks approached.

The group introduced each other to one another. Ursula, a blond woman, spoke"So Cecil, my father, Porom, Palom and two rookie warriors are coming along. Well, what are we waiting for? Count me in!"

The Warrior of Light, who stood by the left hand exit, sighed"I can see there's no stopping anyone at this point. Ventus, what do you suggest at this point? I had not planned to involve a couple of children into this."

"Tyler and Serenia posess all the qualities of their parents, I can sense it" whispered Porom.

Ventus walked up to the rest of the assembling team"I'll just have to come with you, too. Now let's get going, the sooner the better."

The team of eight disembarked the Lunar Whale and walked a ways away. To the left and right sides of the Lunarian ship, Serenia and Ventus saw the two gummi ships that got stuck in the moon's gravity.

"Hey, what's up?" called a voice, as two more people approached.

Ventus replied"Change of plans, we're going to find Rosa and Sora's group to rendar aid."

One of the two people, a brown haired man, spoke"Okay, count us in. I'm Noel, and this is Serah."

"Nice to meet you" smiled the pink haired woman.

The newly formed team of ten heard a strange sound behind them. They rushed back to the landing area to find a strange portal glowing, Serenia was amazed"Do you think this does anything?"

Ventus squared his shoulders"I'll go first."

The remaining nine watched as the blond Keyblade Master walked towards the portal and vanished into it. Palom and Porom glanced at each other, while Serenia followed the older man. To her surprise, the red head found herself with him in a deep cave with black and white walls and a white floor.

"Monsters are up ahead, I can sense it" murmered Ven, taking a moment to monitor the surrounding area.

The rest of the group caught up, most of them equally surprised to see the strange cavern. Ventus surveyed the area farther before addressing his group"All right, everyone who can fight on the front lines with ease form up alongside me. Serenia, Tyler, you two will follow me. Palom, Porom, you bring up the rear."

As Ventus and his team marched on deeper and deeper into the depths of the moon. On their way all of a sudden, some black shadows and large Darkball Heartless appeared in the room.

"Heartless, I was wondering what was keeping them" said Ven, summoning his Wayward Wind Key.

Even as Ventus engaged the shadows, some Defender Heartless appeared and attacked Ceodore, Serenia and Tyler. Cecil, as his mind urged his body to work itself, drew his sword and slashed one of the Defender Heartless in the back. Ceodore and the two younger Key Bearers fought off their adversaries.

A Darkball Heartless attempted to sneak up on the Paladin, only to be intercepted by Yang and Ursula. Palom ended the Heartless ambush with Thundaga.

"What were those things?" wondered Serenia.

Ven shook his head"The beings we just fought are commonly known as the Heartless. We have to move on, or chances are we'll get attacked again."

The group moved downwards until they came to another portal. Taking a leap of faith, the group jumped into the portal, and emerged onto a crystal like chamber at the bottomost steps.

"Sora dosen't seem to be here yet, do you suppose someone tricked us into coming down here ahead of them?" frowned Porom.

Ceodore reached into his bag and pulled out a tent"We'll stay here, then. If the others had not caught up, we'll have to go back for them. Porom, my senses aren't as attuned, but something tells me you were right. But who could have done this?"

"Let's just set up camp for the night and wait" said Yang.

* * *

><p>Two floors above them, Sora and his group fought past many different monsters, including resurrected creatures from crystals which they saw in select areas of the Subterrane. They ventured deeper into the moon's inner sanctums, saving two of Rydia's summoned monster allies from a trance they were caught in in the process.<p>

Upon reaching the bottomost room of the Subterrane, Sora spotted a tent pitched near the entrance. Guarding it was Yang.

"Yang? How did you get here?" inquired Rosa, surprised.

The King of Fabul replied"Cecil, myself, Ursula, Ceodore, Palom, Porom and two more of our allies took it upon ourselves to join you in case something had happened."

"Serenia and Tyler are here?" said Sora, astonished.

Yang nodded"Yes, but so far we have guarded them well. But they managed to hold themselves quite well in a skirmish against dark shadows that I've never seen before."

"The Heartless? What are they doing here?" said Sora, his eyes widening for a second.

"Is that what the monstrosities I say earlier were? I see" sighed Yang.

Rosa glanced at an empty corner of the room"Let's get some rest and talk more about this tomorrow when the others are awake."

"I agree" nodded Kain.

As Sora's group built a cottage for the night, a pair of shadowy figures watched from a distance, one of them a purple haired man. The man addressed his companion, a silver haired man in robes"If Sanhille's hunch is correct, there are many crystals in the depths of this moon."

"We are to steal them, are we not?" frowned the silver haired man.

"No, at least not yet. Subtle maneuvers are not my forte, but taking the inhabitants of this world by surprise is the best thing to accomplish at the moment" whispered the purple haired man.

* * *

><p>The following day, both Sora and Ventus's groups met outside to meet with one another about the previous days events. Sora was surprised"So basically, you came here knowing you're still inexperienced, Serenia?"<p>

Serenia nodded"Yes, I want to do my part to protect the worlds. Isn't that what we're trained for?"

"It is kind of the family business, but Kairi will let me have it if something happens to you" replied Sora.

Kain glanced ahead, then addressed Sora"The longer we bicker here, the less time we have until the moon has hit the blue planet below. I suggest we hurry."

Sora sighed"What choice do I have? All right, we should form a balanced group and proceed onward."

"I was a bit indecisive earlier, but now I am ready to join this mission" spoke Ceodore.

Sora addressed spoke up"Take Tyler with you back to the Lunar Whale. Sereina, stay close to me, I don't want anything to happen to you. Rosa, Cecil, Kain, Ceodore, Rydia, Golbez, will you come with me?"

"You need not ask, we'll come with you" spoke the man in black.

Tyler was surprised at Sora's decision"W-what about me? I want to help, too you know."

"Don't throw a tantrum, okay Tyler?" said Ven.

Serenia smiled at the blue haired pupil"I'll be back."

"Okay" said Tyler, relenting.

While Ventus took most of the group back, Noel and Serah remained to join Sora's team. As the new group of ten marched straight down the passageway, they came to what looked like a dead end with a dark knight guarding the area.

"Huh? Cecil?" gasped Sora.

"Something isn't quite right, it's like some kind of paradox" frowned Noel.

The Dark Knight stood before the group, brandished his shadowy blade and launched dark shockwaves at the heroes. Sora jumped over the blast and slashed downward, only for the knight to dodge and counter with an upward slash.

"TSUNAMI!" cried Rydia, calling forth the watery might of Leviathan. The Dark Knight withstood the tidal wave, and launched another Dark Blast. Kain knocked back the enemy with a jump attack, while Sora cast Fira on the Dark Knight.

The Dark Knight growled"Enough, I have no use for these useless shells." As the knight channeled dark energy into a fatal deadly cloud of energy to unleash at Cecil, Golbez interposed and took the blow for his brother.

Sora tossed his keyblade at his allies' adversary with Strike Raid, while Rosa healed Golbez. Ceodore, Cecil and Rydia pitched in with weapons and magic alike. Cecil's movements were still sluggish from his near zombie-like state however, and were promptly dodged.

The Dark Knight channeled his energy into another vicious Black Fang spell and attempted to cast it on Ceodore. Cecil intercepted the blast, just as something inside him seemed to snap and vitality shone through his eyes once more.

"Holy Burst!" Rydia and Rosa cast a powerful dual spell on the Dark Knight, bringing the Cecil look-at-like to his knees.

The Dark Knight gasped"How did this happen? Y-you're the true Cecil?"

"Indeed, you're the part of me that left long ago" replied the Paladin. With that, Cecil took the apparition's hand and the dark knight seemed to dissolve into Cecil's spirit.

Sora smiled"Great to have you back to normal, Cecil."

Cecil nodded"My friends, I am grateful for your aid. Ceodore, you have grown strong. Now, we must stop this moon in whatever way we can."

"The Master of this moon dwells within it's depths. I shall transport you part of the way" spoke a voice as Cosmos appeared in the area.

Sora smiled"Thanks, now we can neutralize this threat quickly."

Cosmos nodded"Yes, but you will find more then your targets and the crystals of this Blue Planet's universe. The immortal guardian of time, Caius has made his move here, he and the Chaos Warrior Kuja have some kind of trap waiting for you."

"Who's Caius?" inquired Serenia.

Noel shook his head"Bad news, as far as I can tell you. I thought I knew the guy as he helped me learn to survive in our broken time period, but he is way more then I thought he was."

"Good luck" Cosmos teleported the heroes deep into the depths of the moon.

* * *

><p>Back at the Lunar Whale, Ventus had used the portal to send him and his group back and boarded the ship. Palom sighed"Hey, how come we couldn't just help?"<p>

"The bigger our number, the more we'd have to slow down" sighed Porom.

"That would be true" said Tyler.

Ventus addressed his son"We'll continue training until Sora returns. Everyone else can just do what they want."

Tyler flushed"Um, sure I'm not grounded, dad?"

Ventus shrugged"Let's not talk about that, you're still all right."

* * *

><p>Sora, Cecil and their group soon found themselves transported by Cosmos's magic to a large chamber at the bottom. Noel inspected his blade as he spoke"Time to trounce the joker responsible for the world's problem."<p>

"Ah, you've made it" said another voice as a familiar bluish haired figure appeared. The Mystery Woman had anticipated the heroes' intentions.

Sora drew his keyblade"We won't let you do this to Cecil's world."

The Mystery Girl didn't even flinch"You shall not be permitted to venture farther then here. You'll all be destroyed by a force you know all too well." As she spoke, a huge black wyrm appeared.

"Just as I expected" said a new voice as two more men appeared. One of them had purple hair and wielded a powerful sword. The other was a silver haired warlock.

As the man spoke, a horde of white monsters appeared, Sora recognized the Dusks and Samurais as Nobodies. The Mysterious Girl shrugged off the numbers and set the black wyrm on the Nobodies.

Rydia called out to the wyrm"Bahamut, please come to your senses."

Some of the Dusks surrounded Sora and the rest of the group. Neol and Serah rushed at the purple haired man, brandishing their weapons. Caius drew his own blade and clashed with the brunette hunter.

Kuja cast Ultima and Flare on Rosa and Rydia, while Cecil, Ceodore, Kain and Serenia tackled the Mysterious Girl and Bahamut. The battle seemed to get worse however, as the heroes were slowly being worn down by superior numbers.

"I'd personally expected more potency from the so-called Keyblade Master. But alas, you have lost" said Caius.

Bahamut shot at Caius with Megaflare, only for the man to dodge and stab the mysterious girl in the back. The trance holding Bahamut seemed to break as he did, as the wyrm attacked Caius with another Megaflare, before turning his attention to the Nobodies.

Caius swiftly recovered from the blast and attacked Bahamut. The injured wrym swung it's claw at the purple haired man, which he dodged. Cecil, Kain and Ceodore backed up the Eidolon and attacked Caius themselves. Rydia, Sora and Rosa tackled the remaining Nobodies, which attacked relentlessly.

Suddenly, a thunderfall blasted the Nobodies and tore through Caius. The surprised man glanced at the entrance to the room to see a pink haired warrior clad in white armor and a cape. Accompanying her was a brunette with a Keyblade that Sora never saw before.

"Sis!" breathed Serah, glimpsing the pink haired warrior, as she turned her attention on Caius. The purple haired warrior blocked as the Cosmos warrior thrust and slashed at her adversary. The brunette man wiped out the remaining Nobodies.

"Oh? Looks like the curtain has closed here" remarked Kuja, transporting out of the room.

Caius nearly cursed at the sight and teleported away himself"This is just the beginning."

The pink haired warrior and her companion turned to address the rest of the group. Serah hugged the woman"Glad to see you back, Claire."

The woman nodded"Yes, Serah, it is I."

"Lightning? I hardly recognize you" whispered Kain.

"I can say the same to you" said Light.

"You've unlocked the secret of Mount Ordeals as well?" inquired Cecil, recognizing the Paladin-like garments on the pink haired Cosmos Warrior.

Lightning nodded"Yes, Terra and I managed to recieve the power of light, but I see Kain had a harder time of it then we did."

"Not to cut short this little reunion, but we have a job to do" spoke Golbez.

"Right, let's go."

Terra nodded"The enemy behind this mess is waiting for us down at the bottom of these depths, I can sense it."

"This moon has to be stopped somehow, so let's get to it" said Rydia.

The heroes and their two recent recruits ventured to a set of staircases leading them even farther into the depths.

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><p>Excuse the cliffhanger, but this seems like a good place to end this chapter. That, and I didn't want to rush through it.<p>

Sorry I took so long to upload this chapter, but now it is ready. Please feel free to review.


	7. The Twilight Eclipse

Okay, another day and another chapter.

Disclaimer: Sounds redundant, I know, but the Kingdom Hearts series, Dissidia: Final Fantasy, and Dissidia Duodecim are products of Square Enix.

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><p>Chapter VI: The Twilight Eclipse<p>

Sora and his companions headed farther into the depths, surprised to see multiple stationary forms of the Mysterious Girl. At the middle of the formation, Serenia addressed Terra"Um, forgive my curiosity, but what Keyblade is that?"

The brunette replied"I can't say for sure, but the one who gave it to me said something about being another one similar to this."

The next room the heroes entered housed a small chamber where Sora and Rosa saw what looked like a much younger version of the Mysterious Girl. Rydia approached the being, which came to life after Rydia fiddled a bit with the panel beside her.

"What are your oders?" inquired the small girl.

Rydia was astonished, but turned to a sealed door on the other side of the hallway"Can you open that?"

"Affirmative" nodded the small Mysterious Girl look-a-like. She pressed a button by the side of the door before turning back to Rydia.

Sora was asonished"She's artificial!"

Rydia regarded the small figure"Could you wait here?"

"Understood" nodded the small artificial humanoid.

As Sora and his friends moved onward, they came to the Crystal Chamber. Lightning was puzzled"How the heck are we supposed to know which of these are from your world, Kain?"

"We'll have to go trial and error" replied the Dragoon.

As most of the group proceeded to figure out Cecil's world's crystals from the others, Sora took a moment to teach Serenia some basic spells outside of restoractive magic.

"You'll want to stick to basic Blizzard, Thunder and Fire magic until you're ready to the next stage. Cura is a stronger version of Cure, but I don't think you're quite ready for that" said Sora to his daughter.

"I get the elements and all, but how do I know when I can safely cast the stronger spells?" inquired the small red head.

Sora replied"Magic takes energy, if you're not careful with it, you'll find yourself too tired to cast even a basic spell. Besides that, I don't know for sure."

Serenia flushed"Okay, I'll keep that in mind."

"Hey, we found the eight crystals from Cecil's world" said Terra, approaching the pair.

Sora beamed"All right, now all that's left is to take out whatever is controlling this moon."

The trip down was met with no encounters, so the group headed down through the crystal like areas of the moon's depths. At the bottomost flight of steps, the team found themselves in front of what looked like a huge coccoon with a pulsing wall on the front.

Sora readied his Kingdom Key"This is it."

"So the master of all those Maenads lives here" murmered Golbez.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Lightning pointed her gunblade at the pulsing substance and fired. When the bullet connected, a spell sapped some of her vitality.

Sora slashed at the substance with his keyblade while Serenia and Rydia cast spells on it. Under the sheer pressure, the door-like substance faded away. On the other side was what looked like a bluish humanoid.

"What the heck?" whispered Lightning.

The being spoke"As you have seen, I am the creator of those crystals. You see them as embodiments of wisdom, but that's not their sole function. They record the evolution of all living things."

"You expect us to believe that junk?" demanded Lightning.

"No, and I must say that the inhabitants of the blue planet below has not reached a sufficient level of evolution. That's why the moon hasn't stopped" said the being.

Annoyed at the injustice, Sora cast Fira at the moon's Creator. The being retaliated with Flare, which Rosa healed while Rydia summoned Bahamut to cast Mega-Flare on the monster.

The mysterious Creator staggered for a moment before speaking"I too was born on a blue planet, but it was abandoned when our resources were depleted. So my people fled on a spacefleet in search of a new home. But our ability to survive was blunted by the artificial environment we lived in. This moon is the last of the fleet, I am the sole survivor."

"Why didn't you just find a way to co-exist with the people on Cecil's planet?" exclaimed Serenia.

The Creator replied"It is irrelevant. I created the crystals and scattered them to various planets to record the evolution of the beings there."

"Why don't you stop the moon and leave that blue planet alone?" persisted the young red head.

"Forget it, anyone who won't listen to reason has to get their butt kicked" said Lightning.

The Creator cast Meteor on the heroes, which Rosa and Sora countered with healing magic. Terra and Lightning charged, but were knocked back by Flare Spells. Noel slashed at the monster, while Serah shot arrows at the blue enemy.

The Creator cast another Meteor spell, to which Kain retaliated with a jump attack. Ceodore followed that with a thrust to the monster's thigh. Sora unleashed his Ars Arcunum combo on the Creator, just before Serenia followed with Strike Raid.

Battered, but undented, the Creator spoke"How should my people have evolved? What mistakes did we make? That was what I sought to research through the crystals and the Maenads, which were created to eventually harvest the crystals I had scattered. Urgh, sorry, my brain is going heywire! Agh!"

Before the heroes' eyes, the Creator transformed into a large monster which ressembled an angel-alien hybrid. Sora and Serenia struck at the monster with Strike Raid, which was blocked by an invisible field.

Suddenly, Cosmos contacted Cecil"Use the Crystal, it will break the barrier around the monster."

Cecil did as Cosmos instructed and took a crystal out of his pocket, which shone suddenly with magic. The magic seeped from the crystal and surounded the enlarged, transformed body of his group's adversary. Instantly, the barrier broke.

The unstable monster imploded onto itself before letting loose a powerful explosion spell on the heroes. Rosa healed the group with Curaja, while Sora, Kain, Ceodore and Golbez engaged the monster.

The gigantic monstrosity cast another explosion spell, which Sora and Serenia dodged. Terra slashed at the Creator, which cast a spell on him in the process. Sora tossed a Strike Raid at the monster, which countered once more with Explosion and conjured illusionary forms of itself to attack the heroes from behind.

Rosa healed her allies, while Golbez attacked the monster with Meteor. The monster again countered with Mutiply, which Terra and Lightning countered with a X-strike. Rydia summoned Bahamut to cast Megaflare on the Creator.

The monster hit the group one more time with Explode, which Rosa and Ceodore healed with a joint healing technique. Kain jump attacked the moon's Creator, just before Sora dealt a fatal blow to the monster with Arcs Arcanum.

"I... am falling apart. The moon's falling apart... You must flee" gasped the Creator, just he seemed to collapse. Just as the alien predicted, the room started to shake.

"Let's get out of here!" cried Sora.

The heroes dashed up the first three or four flights of stairs before running into a dark brown haired man, who was in the process of inspecting the moon's crystals.

"Raines!" exclaimed Lightning.

The man turned around"It's been a while, and yes. I am Cid Raines."

"What are you after? The moon's about to collapse!" shouted Sora.

"Just got what we were after" sneered another voice, as a crimson clad wraith in human form appeared, Cecil recognized the monster in it's female form"The Cloud of Darkness.."

"We cannot be so easily extinquished" snarled the Cloud of Darkness in her usual third person dialect.

"Enough you two, we don't have time to mess around" interjected Kuja, who'd hidden himself earlier.

Just then, the monstrous form of the moon's creator appeared and cast an explosion. Kuja sneered"Our welcome was overstayed."

The two Chaos Warriors and Raines teleported from the area while Sora and the others fought the seemingly revived monster. The Creator's monster form was so unstablilized, that it collapsed again after taking a beating from Sora, Kain and Cecil's blades.

After a bit more running, the group ran into the Maenad look-a-like. Rydia inquired"What are you still doing here?"

"I waited like you asked" replied the smaller girl.

Rydia glanced back to see the room behind them collapse before addressing the small humanoid"Come with us."

Accompanied by the smaller version of Maenad, the team rushed as farther still as they could, as the Creator gave chase once again. The Maenads in the area stood before Sora's group and faced the monster. One of them addressed Cecil"Watch that child, she's our future."

Sora and his group gratefully rushed back to the room where they freed Bahamut from enemy control. At that instant, the Creator caught up to them. Sora turned and slashed at the monster's face.

The Creator exploded not onto himself, but Sora as well. While Rosa healed Sora, the last of the bigger Maenads showed up and addressed the monster"How could you? You're our father."

Sora watched as the Maenad cast Meteor, killing herself and fatally injuring the monster. The Creator gasped as his body began to implode into thin air"Thank you all."

Sora and his group ran up the stairs to the top floor of the Depths as fast as they could. As soon as they got there, they used an interdimensional elevator to return to the surface.

"Serah and I will go tell Vaan what's happening so he can get his ship off this exploding mothership" said Noel.

Sora nodded, then raced back into the Lunar Whale. Roxas greeted them"How was it?"

"This Moon is falling apart, it was really the remains of an ancient spacefleet" said Sora.

Roxas shrugged"Well, now that's over. I'll go get Xion and we'll retrieve the Radiant Light. Sora, you might want to return to the Ragnarok II."

"You don't have to say it" said Sora.

"What about me?" inquired Serenia.

Sora addressed his daughter"You'd best stay on the Lunar Whale while Roxas and I retrieve our ships."

Within minutes before the 'moon''s collapse, the heroes escaped and flew down to the Blue Planet below on their respective ships. Ventus, who went with Sora to his Gummi Ship, remarked"That was a close call, huh?"

"No kidding, but now we've met more of our enemies' numbers on our way back" sighed Sora.

Ventus shrugged"Ah, what the heck? We can probably handle them."

* * *

><p>In the sealed dimsension, Kuja deposited the crystals he found into Yoran's hands"I trust you are satisfied?"<p>

"Yes, this plan is coming on quite nicely. Though it pains me to involve the worlds in such a manner, it's the only way to locate forbidden the secrets of the World Order" sighed the mysterious Keyblade Master.

"Might want to be careful there, Sanhille. We don't want too many of our organization to know what a softy you really are" remarked Arlene.

Caius stood on one side of Sanhille's chamber in thought, while Weiss sat about devising his own plan. One of his group, a large man with what looked like a blue maine spoke"So what next?"

Weiss smilled"Be patient, soon, all shall burn."

Lumaria, who stood nearby to observe the mysterious ex-soldier, went over to where Caius stood"It seems Weiss is getting overzealous, which is of course no different then I at one point."

"Let them play their little game. I, however, will take no farther action for the time being" replied the purple haired man.

Sanhille, who stood in front of his throne-like chair, marched over to where some of his group was talking"I don't want the World Order scarred too badly, or at least irravocably plunged into darkness. Perhaps I will show you what I'm capable of sometime."

"You mean you wish to spar? I'd be delighted to show you what I can do" smirked Arlene.

The man replied"Yes, sometime, though I'd rather reserve my strength for the impending hunt for the Stone of Secrets, which lies somewhere in a hidden world.

With that, Sanhille walked back into his command center, where he found Droul"May I ask how your mission was?"

"Piece of cake, I got the pendant like you asked" said the blond Gambler, handing it to the mysterious warrior.

Sanhille nodded, then went to a nearby window as he felt the power of light throbbing inside him from the touch of the pendant. The man grimaced'I only hope the worlds will forgive me this tresspass. My quest for true light will ensure complete tranquility'.

* * *

><p>A few days passed as Sora, Cecil and the rest of their companions went back to Cecil's planet and rebuilt the damage caused by Meteors from the Moon. The group gathered inside Baron Castle's throne room to discuss their next move. Golbez went on the Lunar Whale to his father's poeple's moon to asess their condition.<p>

Kain, who'd gone with Ceodore and a few others to aid in the reconstruction, joined them with the Quarter-Lunarian accompanying him. Cecil addressed the Dragoon"How is everything?"

"Reconstruction is progressing at a slow pace, but will get done eventually" replied the Dragoon.

Lightning shrugged from where she stood"Well, as long as this place remains safe."

Cecil addressed Sora"The Warrior of Light told me a bit about a mysterious man who's trying to unveil true light onto the worlds, did you find out something yourself?"

Sora nodded"Yeah, that guy's name is Sanhille. But we don't know where he is."

Serenia piped up"Oh, I just remembered. I had a strange dream before I left the Land of Departure. It showed some strange creatures fighting against everyone, a man with a unknown Key, and at it's end was a strange armored creature. It was almost like I was seeing the future."

"Seeing the future can cost a Seeress her life where I come from. You're not a Seer are you?" frowned Noel, concerned.

"Noel, let's not scare Serenia" sighed Serah.

Sora shrugged"Well, if we're working together, we won't get beaten by any villain."

Cecil pondered for a minute before speaking"This 'Yoran Sanhille' sounds unpredictable, even the thirteen-cycle war wasn't anywhere near as bad, or perhaps it was worse."

A Baronian Guard suddenly entered the room in a panic"Sire! Come quick!"

"Calm down, what's happened?" inquired the Paladin.

The guard replied"We saw a flash of light just now, and the sun seemed to turn a strange color."

Sora turned to leave the room. Cecil, Kain, Ceodore, Serenia, Tyler, Ventus, Terra and Lightning went with him. Outside, Tyler shrugged"What's up with that? I didn't see anything. What about you, Serenia?"

The red headed teen paled as she looked astonishingly at the sky. What looked like the sun and another orb moved towards each other, and the sky turned into a color ressembling that of Twilight Town's sky.

"That must be the eciipse Cosmos spoke of" said Sora.

Lightning scowled"So now what?"

Tyler's eyes widened as a strange orb-like tattoo appeared on his wrist. Everyone else in the vicinity found themselves marked by the magic of the mysterious eclipse.

Sora was shocked"What's this about?"

"I don't know, but this this unlike any i'Cie mark I've seen" frowned Lightning.

Cosmos's voice suddeny addressed the heroes"The curse has begun, but there is still a way to save the situation. Those marks appearing on your bodies are no i'Cie symbols, but were used as a source of greater power during the Keyblade War centuries ago."

"What else is known about the curse?" inquired the Warrior of Light.

Cosmos replied"Other then granting you forbidden conflicting powers of Light and Darkness, ons is most vulnerable to petrification or crystalization while under the unnatural light of the Twilight Eclipse."

"How are we supposed to fight it?" demanded Lightning.

"It is the sort of curse that can span for as long as the Twilight Eclipse lasts, which may not be until Sanhille achieves his goal. You are immune to the darkness effects from the Twilight Brands through your hearts. Others may not be so fortunatel, as either will succumb more easily to darkness or light" said Cosmos.

"Are Light and Darkness both that dangerous?" frowned Terra.

Cosmos replied"Yes and no. But more important, you must defend the worlds from invasion from evil once more, and find the Stone before he does. Other, unknown worlds, will make themselves known throughout this desparate hour."

Sora sighed"It's up to me."

"Not necessarily, we'll split into three groups and decide which teams will fufill what role. We'll solve this mystery one way or another" said Lightning.

Cecil nodded"All right, then I'd suggest that Sora lead a team. I will form another group, while Quinn leads the third group."

Quinn acknowledged"Lightning, myself and Terra will form one group. Will that be acceptable?"

"Fine with me" nodded the pink haired ex-soldier.

Kain addressed Ceodore"I trust you're ready for yet another mission?"

"I'll do my best, captain" nodded the quarter-Lunarian.

"Captain?" inquired Sora.

Kain responded"I am the new Captain of the Red Wings by Rosa's request."

"That's great" said Sora.

Kain, Ceodore, Rosa, Rydia, Edge and the small humanoid they named Cuore went over to Cecil's side. Serenia, Tyler, Ventus, Xion, Roxas, Noel and Serah went over to Sora.

Sora turned to address the two teenage Keyblade Masters"This will be a dangerous mission, sure you're up for it?"

"You bet" said Tyler.

"We want to help you" chirped Serenia.

"All right, but I will have Roxas and Xion help you with your training some more" nodded Sora.

Ceodore addressed Cecil"What's our objective?"

Cecil was about to respond when the Lunar Whale landed in front of them. Golbez stepped off"Cosmos contacted me and requested my aid."

"Nice to have you around, uncle" smiled Ceodore.

Cecil addressed Sora and Quinn's groups"Should we reunite, let it be at the crux of the mysterious curse of the Twilight Eclipse. Don't any of you die on us, the worlds depend on us. Sora, my world might be having a few anomalies caused by this eclipse, I must investigate here."

"We'll do our best, good luck Cecil" grinned Sora.

* * *

><p>Another cliffhanger, sorry. Oh, and taking previous reviews under consideration, since Kain at the end of the After Years becomes Captain of the Red Wings and Ceodore joins him, I thought that splitting the characters into groups would be interesting for most of the fic. The Final Fantasy IV gang will be in their world maybe for a chunk of this fic.<p>

As a result, Kain and Cecil won't be around as much in this fic as I originally planned. Sorry. As for worlds, I'll definately start using some Disney ones and a few Final Fantasy.

Hm, as for my usage of the eclipse I made up for this fic, maybe I can throw in some characters or elements from Golden Sun. That and maybe a few other non-disney and non-final fantasy elements related to Power Rangers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, or even One Piece. But I'll see.

Please feel free to review.


	8. A Twist in Time

I really should know better then to keep people waiting for more chapters, maybe working on multiple fics at the same time really is a bad thing. Anyway, here's another chapter for Kingdom Hearts Dissidia Duos: Dawn to Twilight. I'll be switching between characters a bit in this chapter.

Just so you know, this chapter will spoil some things from the movie Cinderella III: A Twist in Time. Does anyone think that was an uneccessary sequel?

As redundant as this seems, thoughts are represented by ', " indicates spoken dialogue, and _ is a change in point of view or lapse in time.

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and Dissidia are properties of Square Enix.

* * *

><p>Chapter VII: A Twist in Time<p>

Sora and his group boarded their Gummi Ships and sailed around the Lanes Between. On the Radiant Light, Xion proceeded to teach Serenia and Tyler some basic magic while Roxas navigated the controls to remain in formation with the Ragnarok II. Quinn, Terra and Lightning also boarded the Radiant Light.

"Gravity is a bit more advanced then fire, blizzard, thunder and cure, but it's still simple enough. But for now, we'll concentrate the basics" elaborated Xion as the two Keyblade apprentices listened to her instructions.

Lightning approached Roxas"If you don't mind, I will have to return to Radiant Garden. Quinn, Terra and I will need a ship of our own if we are to cover more ground faster."

"I was thinking about that, myself" said Roxas.

"Hey, we're coming up to a world right now, want to check it out?" called Cid over the communicator.

Roxas glimsed at the navigational panal at his seat and glanced out the window to see what appeared to be a white palace surrounded by a greenish countryside.

On the Ragnarok II, Ventus recognized the world"The Castle of Dreams, I've been here before. Sora, we should take a look down there and see how things are holding up."

"Great idea, Ven, though it doesn't feel like we'd find any clues about the Eclipse back on Cecil's world" replied the brunette hero.

"There might be Heartless down there" said Roxas from his station on the Radiant Light.

Sora shrugged"Point taken, I want to see how Cinderella's doing. Terra, Ven, are you with me?"

Terra nodded from where he stood near the Radiant Light's communicator"I've been here myself, it shouldn't take long. Lightning, are you coming with us?"

"All right, let's get going" said the pink haired warrior.

While the two ships drew near the Castle of Dream's atmosphere, Tyler and Serenia were asked by Xion to stay with her and Roxas while Sora checked out the Castle of Dreams. Serenia was surprised"What about me?"

Roxas sighed before addressing Sora over the communication console"What do you think about this? If I bring Serenia down there and stay out of sight of any Heartless, she can at least catch a glimpse of this world and get some fresh air. The intensity of darkness is not very high, here."

Sora thought for a moment before replying"I don't want to take the chance of her ending up in a situation she's not ready for. Serenia was lucky she made it through that false moon with us, but there's always a chance something will happen. In fact, I have a mind to see her back to safety at the Land of Departure."

"I know I'm only an apprentice, father, but I'm already getting cabin fever here! Besides, I can take care of myself if I need to, and I want to explore the worlds" griped the young red head.

"All right, but try to stay out of trouble, okay? Noel, Serah, if you don't mind, can you go with Roxas and Serenia?" said Sora.

Noel nodded"You can count on us."

"Dosen't my sister have better things to do besides babysitting?" sighed Lightning.

"It's okay, Claire. I don't mind" piped her sister.

Lightning sighed and contacted Noel"Make sure Serah is alive by the time we're done investigating this world."

"It won't be a problem" responded the brunette hunter.

Sora got together at the Ragnarok II's teleportation pad with Ventus"The coordinates are different for each group, so we'll be sent down two at a time."

Cid acknowledged Sora"We'll keep the ships going while you're out."

Sora activated the device and teleported himself and Ventus down to the Castle of Dreams. No sooner had they landed in a clearing near the forest in the world, Lightning and Terra joined them. The pink-haired warrior addressed Sora"So what next?"

"Something feels a little off" murmered Terra.

Sora turned in the direction of a magic sparkle in the distant village"You might be right, let's go check it out."

As the three proceeded in the direction of the village, Sora addressed Terra"What was this place like?"

"I can't say for certain, I was too busy with my first mission when I last came here" replied the older brunette.

Ventus paused briefly"Hm, now that I think about it, I remember making some good memories here.

* * *

><p>Near a flower garden near the world's local chateau, Serenia's group emerged in front of the large out"Wow, this place is beautiful."<p>

"Nothing compared to Radiant Garden though, I imagine" said Roxas.

Serah spotted a wilting flower in the garden"Looks like this place hasn't been looked after, much."

"Nothing we can't fix. Serenia, can you try casting cure on the flower?" said Roxas.

The teenage red-head nodded and strode towards the flower, whispering a cure spell the moment she stopped in front of the garden. Roxas addressed Serenia"As you can see, curactive magic can heal wonders of injuries. It won't work on anything too severe, though."

Serah breathed in the fresh air"This place feels just incredible, would it be wrong to want to take a flower home?"

"We'd have to ask the owner of the house, but right now that's not important" said Noel.

"Hmph, time has changed in this world" said another voice.

Startled, the group turned to see Caius standing before them. Noel addressed the purple-haired man"What do you mean by that?"

The older man replied"I can sense it. Upon changing the future, one changes the past, time's contradictions shall not go unnoticed" said Caius.

"Enough of your riddles, tell us what's going on!" exclaimed Roxas.

"I don't think he'll tell us anything" muttered Noel.

Even as they spoke, a group of shadow and darkball heartless appeared. Caius vanished as he spoke to Noel"You've been warned."

"Thunder!" Serenia's spell took out three shadows, while Roxas, Serah and Noel fought the Darkballs. The heartless in the area were obliterated almost instantly.

"Something fishy is definately at hand" said Roxas.

"Look! Over there!" called Serenia.

Noel glanced in the direction she pointed to see what looked like a paradox orb hanging above the nearby forest"Caius wasn't kidding, time's definately a mess here."

"Let's go check it out" said Serah.

"What about me?" chirped Serenia.

Roxas responded"Just stay close."

* * *

><p>Sora and his team headed towards the village to search for the source of the magic that they saw. Ventus paused as he glanced at what appeared to be a gap in the sky"Something's definately wrong."<p>

"Let's find out what it is" said Sora, drawing his Kingdom Key and pointing it at the gap. In an instant, a beam of light shot out and hit the anomaly dead-on. Terra watched as it began to glow.

"What the devil is happening?" whispered Lightning.

Even as they spoke, a ray of light swallowed them and deposited the group in a strange crystal-blue landscape with a black starry sky above. Sora glanced at their surroundings"This is new."

"It must be some kind of parallel dimension from the looks of things" said Lightning.

"We're not alone, either" said Terra, as a group of Elemental Heartless appeared and showered them with spells. Lightning unleashed Thundaga on the monsters, only for three Defender Heartless to appear in their place.

"We'll have to go for the source" said Sora.

The four pressed on, fighting past the defender heartless and pressing forward into the paradox. At the end of the path, Sora caught sight of a strange set of crystals lying in a strange pattern. A line shot between them as they studied the crystal formation.

"Now what?" said Lightning.

Ventus studied the crystal formation and was astonished"It's some kind of constellation puzzle, we have to connect some lines to the various colored crystals."

"Easier said then done" scoffed Lightning.

Sora walked towards the puzzle"Leave this to me, I think I can figure it out."

The younger brunette proceeded to trace the lines' paths and connect them to the crystals while the others watched. The puzzle was confusing at first, but Sora got the hang of it by magically tracing the lines to several matching colored crystals.

"That was too easy, wasn't it?" said Ven, watching as the puzzle faded upon being solved.

"It's not over yet" said Lightning, as the group found themselves being warped elsewhere.

* * *

><p>Back at the forest entrance, Roxas's group rushed to the mysterious paradox. Noel couldn't believe his eyes"I guess the fact that this is a different world then Gran Pulse dosen't seem to matter."<p>

"It may not be easy to enter the paradox. Roxas, do keyblades work on any lock?" inquired Serah.

Roxas shrugged"Keyblades aren't as convenient as you'd think, but I can probably teleport us up there."

Serenia glanced at the older man"How?"

"The corridor of darkness lets me travel anywhere, just grab my hand and I'll get us up there" said Roxas.

Serenia, Noel and Serah linked hands with Roxas while the blond nobody channeled his energy into the power of darkness and they vanished into the corridor. At the other side, the group found themselves on a crystal platform with a large set of crystals shaped in a particular pattern. Noel glanced at Serah"Ready for a little puzzle?"

"I'm on it" responded the pink haired girl, rushing onto the platform with the crystals. Noel followed her, and the two began inspecting the crystals and figuring out the puzzle.

"They've done this before, haven't they?" wondered Serenia.

"Obviously" muttered Roxas.

A few seconds later, the room glowed a bright white. Soon, they found themselves back in the world's countryside. Roxas sighed"That should take care of the paradox, right?"

"Yep, everything seems normal for the most part" said Noel.

"Serenia! Roxas!" Sora's group rushed over to them.

"Is everything okay?" said Roxas.

Sora nodded"Yeah, we made our way through a paradox that was hovering above the village. But what caused it?"

"Beats me, but my group went through a paradox as well" said Noel.

"Look!" said Ven, gasping at the sight of what looked like a orange pumpkin coach rushing past them. The group was caught by surprise as they heard a girl's voice cry out.

"Someone's in trouble, this is no garden variety monster" said Lightning.

"I got this one" said Ventus, summoning his keyblade glider. The blond raced towards the cursed pumpkin and slashed at the 'wheels'. Terra caught up on his glider and hacked at the front of the pumpking coach. The wheels were destroyed as the pumpkin collapsed, Terra thought he heard a cat cry out as it did.

Sora raced over to the pumpkin to find the person who was trapped inside climbing out"Are you okay?"

The woman, who had blond hair and a maid's outfit, replied"Yes, thank you for saving me."

"No problem. It's me, Sora. Are you Cinderella?" said the brunette.

The woman was taken aback"Sora? It's really you? It's been a long time, though I wish we'd have met again under better circumstances."

"Did something happen?" interjected Ventus.

Cinderella glanced at him"Ven? You're here too? Yeah, you see, my stepmother had somehow gotten ahold of my fairy godmother's wand and used it to change history. It was as though I never married, much less met the prince."

"Are the paradoxes connected by any chance?" inquired Noel.

The blond princess replied"I don't know, but I have to stop my stepmother and stepsisters. I fear that my stepmother turned Anastasia into what looked like me and is about to marry the prince in my stead."

"We'll stop them, which way is the castle?" said Sora.

"It's north west of here" replied Cinderella.

"I'll open a shortcut" said Roxas, opening a dark passageway.

Cinderella was amazed"What is that?"

"If we do not go now, we can't capture the culprit behind the time anomaly and return this world to normal" interrupted Lightning.

The group stepped into the dark portal and warped to the entrance to the castle. But as they entered and marched down the hallway, a swarm of Shadow Heartless attacked. Sora countered the threat with Rising Sun, while the others covered him from behind.

"The Heartless just don't know when to quit" remarked Roxas.

"Heartless are attracted to people who have steeped too far into darkness, right? Let's hurry and get my fairy godmother's wand back from my stepmother" said Cinderella.

Inside the ballroom, a black haired prince and what looked like Cinderella were in the middle of a wedding ceremony. The king, the duke, Cinderella's stepmother and one of the stepsisters watched. The prince said 'I do' as they began going through their vows. When the Cinderella look-a-like was asked if she would take the prince as her husband, she hesitated.

The stepmother raised an eyebrow at the imposter"What are you waiting for?"

"Hold it right there!" shouted Sora as he and his friends stormed into the room.

"You" whispered the dark haired stepsister.

The Cinderella look-a-like shook her head"I can't do this."

"You ungrateful fool!" growled Cinderella's stepmother, drawing the wand. Just as she was about to cast a spell, a dark aura surrounded her and Cinderella's other stepsister.

"I almost pity Lady Tremaine, darkness is unforgiving" murmered Terra.

Tremaine gasped as the darkness siezed hold of her, and a dark cloud emerged from the wand. Sora drew his keyblade"This could get ugly."

The prince stood back as Terra and Ventus stood near him and Cinderella to protect them. Nearby, Tremaine seemed to have recovered, except a purple haze now shone in her eyes.

"Talk about a plastic surgeon" remarked Serah, sarcastically.

The transformed woman brandished the wand and fired a beam at Sora. The hero dodged and rushed towards his opponent, only to get knocked back by a dark aura.

"Mother! Snap out of it!" cried the Cinderella look-a-like.

"It's no use, your mother has succumbed to darkness" said Terra.

Serenia cast fire at Tremaine just as Serah fired an arrow, both projectiles struck the transformed being in the shoulder. The impact caused her to let go of the wand, prompting Sora to rush ahead and grab it. Lightning took the opprotunity to knock Tremaine out with a solid punch, much to the onlookers' surprise.

"What was going on?" muttered the prince.

"It's a long story" said Sora, handing the wand to Cinderella. The princess of heart used the wand to turn her doppelganger back into her true form.

The black haired stepsister nearby hissed"You'll pay for this."

"Oh really?" said Lightning, drawing out her gunblade and swinging it at her target. Sora watched as the dark haired woman fell unconcious.

"Did you-?" Sora gasped.

"I only used the flat part of my gunblade" said Lightning, coolly.

A voice interuppted"Well, well, this is quite the turnaround."

Sora turned in surprise to see the speaker, a pink haired man"Lumaria!"

Lumeria grinned as he pointed to the castle entrance"The heartless responsible for her transformation is here, nice knowing you."

"Huh?" Sora gasped as a greyish skinned Camelion appeared out of nowhere.

"Get everyone else out of here" said Terra, referring to the prince, the king, the duke and Cinderella.

"Got it" said Roxas.

The Camelion immediately lunged at the group and nearly smashed Serenia. Ventus knocked her out of the way, only to recieve a blow to the head. The Camelion unleashed a breath of darkness at the group, which they barely dodged. Lightning rushed into the frey and hit the monster with Lightning Strike.

The irratated monster attempted a clumsy head-butt attack, only to be intercepted by a blow by Terra. The Camelion turned invisible and made for the walls of the castle. Sora was slightly annoyed by the turn of events.

"Hold on" said Cinderella, using her fairy godmother's wand to put on a shadow of where the monster currently hid as it prepared to unleansh another dark breath. Ventus tossed his keyblade at the monster, knocking it down. The Camelion launched lasers from it's eyes, which Ventus dodged.

"That's where I want you. Thunderfall!" cried Lightning, casting a powerful spell. The thunder magic proved too much for the monster, as it collapsed. Sora watched as a purple heart rose from the defeated monster's body as it vanished.

"Thank you for protecting the kingdom, but what were those creatures?" inquired the prince.

Sora explained"It's a long story, but the monsters seem to be working for a guy called Yoran. History seemed to have changed before that, though."

Nearby, Cinderella's godmother suddenly appeared"Thank you for retrieving my wand."

"It wasn't a problem, but isn't there some way for your magic to ignore thhe wishes of those with a dark heart?" inquired Ventus.

"I'm afraid not, but now that's all over. Cinderella, if you wish, I can return the timeline to it's original state" said the Fairy Godmother.

Cinderella shook her head"No, it's okay."

The prince approached the blond princess of heart"Cinderella, will you marry me?"

"Yes, I will" smiled Cinderella.

"What about Lady Tremaine?" frowned Terra.

The king interjected"Just let us deal with her. What matters is you possibly saved my kingdom."

Sora smiled as the prince asked Cinderella to dance. Nearby, Ventus spotted a keyhole materializing above and said"That's your cue, Sora."

"I know" said the younger brunette, walking towards the keyhole and pointing his keyblade at it. Before Serenia's eyes, her father's keyblade unleashed a beam of light which engulfed the keyhole. The keyhole vanished as the Kingdom Key finished sealing it.

The king pondered for a moment before addressing Sora"If you don't mind explaining, who is this Yoran?"

"We don't know for sure, but we'll find him your highness" replied Sora.

Cinderella stopped dancing with her prince to address the light brown-haired hero"Thanks again for helping to set things right. Will you come back and visit sometime?"

"We will, princess" said Sora.

Serenia sighed as she looked out the window'I wonder which world is next, this has been an interesting month so far.'

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><p>Okay, I finally got this chapter set up. I hope it wasn't too boring or rushed or anything. I guess I could've based this chapter off of Cinderella II, but that movie didn't have much action.<p>

Please feel free to review.


	9. An Ancient Legend

Well, here's the next chapter for Dawn to Twilight.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts and Dissidia are all products of Square Enix.

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><p>Chapter VIII: An Ancient Legend<p>

Sora and his friends soon return to Radiant Garden. There, Squall met up wit the brunette hero"Did something happen out there? The sky got kind of dim, but not completely dark. Last I checked, it was still mid-morning."

"It's a long story, but we're investigating the eclipse. Then, there is this artifact called the Stone of Secrets" said Sora.

Yuffie and Aerith, who were accompanying Squall, were astonished. The brunette girl shrugged"I read about something like that once, it's an old myth. Oh, and Sora, Kairi was waiting to here from you and Serenia."

Sora nodded"I thought she would, but I won't be here for long. Lightning, Quinn and Terra are here to board another Gummi Ship and try to find clues about the eclipse. Cosmos told us what the effects might be, but it's nothing to worry about. Caius and Sanhille are the ones we're dealing with."

"Sanhille... Riku mentioned him. That man is one big enigma. It is well known in the history of the World Order here in Radiant Garden that he fought on the side of light in the Keyblade War. There's an old book in the castle library about the war, but it's merely speculation" said Squall.

Sora smiled"Thanks for the information, we'll check that out later. Aerith, could you tell Kairi we're going to be gone for a while longer?"

Aerith nodded"I'm sure she'll understand, but she is most worried about Serenia."

The teenage red head shrugged"I'll be okay, I have my father and some friends with me."

"With optimism like that, you're definately just like your old man" said a voice as Riku arrived on the scene.

"What about this Caius guy? Who is he?" inquired Yuffie.

Noel, who accompanied Sora with Serah, replied"He's an old aqauintence of mine. Not sure what his plan is exactly, but Caius is apparently not the guy I once knew."

"The World Order is so full of secrets, but it's like those secrets aren't for us to know" mussed Aerith.

"But we have to try for the one that Sanhille's bunch is looking for, heard of the stone of secrets?" inquired Noel.

Aerith shrugged"The Stone of Secrets... You mean the Twilight Crystal? Most people believe it to be a myth, but given the unusuall eclipse causing this abnormal twilight, the legend might be true."

"What's the legend?" piped Serenia.

The brunette woman sighed"I don't know for sure, I doubt even Master Yen Sid knows the exact details. The books that talk about ancient legends in Radiant Garden's library is written in an unknown language. It's not easy to translate."

"Well, whatever the Twilight Crystal is, it could be dangerous whether we find it or our enemy does" said Riku.

"I agree" shrugged Squall.

"Sora, my group and I just spoke with Cid, and he's lending us your old Gummi Ship, will that be all right?" said Terra.

Sora nodded"No problem, the Ragnarok II has never let us down yet. Good luck, but where are you headed?"

Lightning responded"We will gather the rest of Cosmos's availible warriors and meet at the Order Sanctuary. I'm not saying that Chaos will return, but it's best to prepare now and devise contingency plans."

"Then the rest of us will gather information and try to locate the Twilight Crystal. I might even visit some of the other worlds, assuming we're not on a time limit" said Sora.

The Warrior of Light acknowledged the two"A well concieved plan, but this may not fully solve the mystery of the Twilight Curse. Nonetheless, it seems like the best one we have so far. Let us move and may the light shine upon us all."

Sora smiled"Good luck to you, too."

As Lightning, Terra and the Warrior of Light left, Sora addressed Squall"Any chance you can come with us this time?"

"No, but I saw Cloud and Tifa head for the market earlier. They could be of some help while Yuffie, Aerith and I protect Radiant Garden" replied the older brunette man.

"I have to say and wait for King Mickey, don't get killed out there Sora" piped Riku.

Sora gave Riku and thumbs-up and raced to the market. There, a blond man and a brunette woman were shopping in the area. The Keyblade Master addressed them"Cloud, Tifa, I need a favor."

"Hm? Oh, what is it Sora?" inquired the Martial Artist.

Sora explained away the current situation"Basically, we're trying to solve the mystery of the Twilight Eclipse and find the Twilight Crystal. Can you join me and my group?"

"Not interested, I'm sure you have enough people in your group" said Cloud.

"Oh, come on Cloud. I know Squall, Aerith and Yuffie have things covered, it can't hurt to go on another adventure, don't you think?" challenged Tifa.

"I suppose. All right, we're in" said the blond swordsman.

The three rejoined the group near the Gummi Ship hanger. As they made ready to take off inside the Ragnarok II, Cosmos appeared before Sora"Surely the archives at the Land of Departure holds more answers that you seek."

"Really? There's an archive there?" said Sora.

The Harmony Goddess nodded"Yes, and I sense that the vortexes from your previous quest are becoming more active. Universes you've never been to have made themselves known, as I have previously told you. The Realm of Sleep has merged with the Realm of Light."

"We'll check out those worlds once we're done gathering information at the Land of Departure" said Sora.

"Good luck" said Cosmos.

Cid addressed Sora"Sounds like we might just be in over our heads. Sora, we're headed back to the Land of Departure, right?"

"Yeah, there may be an archive or something" nodded the brunette hero.

"All right, let's take off" said the pilot.

On the rooftop, watching the scene below, the shadow of a light purple haired man murmered"Everything is acorrding to plan. Even should Sora find the Twilight Crystal, he is in for an unpleasent surprise."

"Master Sanhille..." said a voice nearby.

The man addressed his companion"Arlene, preparations have been made for the invasion of Radiant Garden, no?"

"Indeed" said the blond.

Sanhille nodded"Too long has it been, since my self-imposed exile. Sora has yet to walk into my trap, and I have plans for the princess of heart as well."

"Is it about the pendant by any chance?" said Arlene.

"Indeed, now we should return before we're spotted. With the heroes of the realm of light frantically searching for clues, we proceed with my plan. But do not attack Radiant Garden just yet" said the man.

The blond woman rolled her eyes"Just when WILL you permit me and Lumaria to strike? My last superior never was one to wait."

Sanhille raised his hand"Patience, when the time is right, we will strike. I must be precise, otherwise we fail. While I'm at it, I must warn you that while I do tolerate failures, I won't hesitate to send you back to the dead."

"Ha, I wasn't dead, I was merely turned into a nobody" scoffed Arlene.

"We can call each other's bluff as much as we want back at headquarters" said Sanhille, vanishing.

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><p>The return to Radiant Garden was smooth, as Sora and his group parked the Ragnarok II at the courtyard. Roxas landed the Radiant Light next to it. Sora, Ventus, Cloud, Tifa, Serenia and Tyler left the ships to head for the castle.<p>

Aqua was relieved when she saw Tyler and the others"Welcome back, did you find anything? I was starting to worry when I saw the clear blue sky turn a kind of yellowish orange."

"It's a curse, we have to do some research at the archives here" said Sora, hastily.

Aqua frowned as she lifted her gloved hand to inspect one of her exposed fingers"Now that you mention it, a sun and moon symbol appeared on my hand a few hours ago. The defense force members here are on the edge."

Serenia shrugged as she glanced at the eclipsed moon in the sky"Well, we'll figure it out, right?"

"Probably, I was reading a book just now in the study, I just found it at the archives. The book reveals some kind of a ancieng legend involving a Twilight Crystal, or the Stone of Secrets as it is also called."

"Really? Can we see it?" said Sora.

Aqua nodded"Yes, it's in the study."

The group went into the castle study, where a old leather-brown book lay open. Sora picked up the volume and looked at it, eyes widening at the text.

"What does it say, Sora?" pressed Tifa.

Sora gazed at the paragraphs and read it aloud"_Of all the powers of Light, Darkness, and Nothingness, there is one that foreshadows the rest. The Twilight Crystal, an ancient relic which is the source of the Twilight Eclipse spell. It is the spell that enhances the properties of both Light and Darkness."_

"I have a bad feeling about this, want me to wait outside?" whimpered Tyler.

Aqua put a hand on her son's shoulder"It's okay, we'll let you and Serenia know if it gets too scary."

Cloud was surprised"Hm, I can't seem to believe what we're learning."

"Sora, continue reading" urged Tifa.

Sora shrugged as he read"_During the Keyblade War, a Twilight Eclipse occured twenty years before it ended. Those with extreme darkness in their hearts were 'cursed' with an aura of black and white. But as the eclipse dragged on, two Keyblade Masters, both on the side of light, sealed the Twilight Crystal Away. It was a temporary solution, as the eclipse would again."_

_"_So if Sanhille isn't at fault, whose was it?" piped Serenia.

Sora shrugged"We don't know for sure, but if this Twilight Crystal is the source, we'll destroy it."

"Wait, there's more" said Aqua.

Sora glanced at the text"Hm, the reading is definately cryptic, now that you mention it. _Hundreds of years would pass before another Twilight Eclipse. The two Keyblade Masters' names were lost to history, but their lingering wills proved stronger then the ravages of time. While dealing with the eclipse, a man named Yoran had defeated the leader of the dark Keyblade Masters."_

"Remember when I mentioned Yoran Sanhille's name? Those events actually took place before his name was lost to history."

"Yeah, but who was the dark Keyblade Master the guy defeated?" inquired Serenia.

Sora glanced at the book one more time and sighed"It just ends right there, it sounds like this 'Sanhille' guy was already dead. How could he still be alive? And just who was that dark wielder?"

Aqua shrugged"Who knows? But we got some information out of the book about the Twilight Eclipse, I guess the ancients didn't want to record how to find the sealed Twilight Crystal."

"My, my, it looks like you found quite the damaging info there" said a voice, as a silver haired man with a sword appeared.

Cloud drew his blade at the sight"Sephiroth?"

"In a manner of speaking, Cloud. My name is Kadaj" sneered the man.

"What are you after?" said Tifa.

Kadaj smirked as two more men appeared from the shadows with him"We stole materia from Cloud's alternate universe, behold the resurrected form of your nemesis!"

Before Sora's eyes, Kadaj pulled out a vial and drank it, vanishing into green light as he did. Before Cloud's eyes, Kadaj had vanished, leaving none other then Sephiroth in his place.

"How-? We defeated you in the last war with Chaos's forces" said Tifa, astonished.

Sephiroth smirked as he spoke"That was just one road for me to take. Cloud cannot escape his past."

The other two men stood on either side of the silver haired swordsman, a brunette smirked"I am Loz, and my other counterpart is Yazoo."

Aqua brandished her keyblade"Those with dark hearts will never take this place!"

"We're with you" Lea and Isa entered the room, joining Sora and the others.

Sephiroth grinned maliciously"This world is the first to succumb to the eclipse. My spirit was summoned the way Kuja happened to be, prepare to meet your end."

"Not on your life!" said Sora, summoning his keyblade.

"Now what?" said Ventus.

Sora turned to address the other blond"Let's lure these creeps outside and defeat them!"

"Good call, I'll distract them!" said Ven.

Sephiroth strode forward a bit"You still have a bit of fight in you, this should prove quite interesting." Loz and Yazoo followed their leader, while Ventus readied himself for a decoy duel with the silver haired Chaos warrior.

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><p>Cliffhanger time, sorry for the wait. I will include another world in the next chapter, following this section. As for why I included Kadaj, I thought I should include him and Weiss. Advent Children takes place before Dirge of Cerberus after all.<p>

Oh, and I don't have any hard proof, but I read from an author note in the fanfic Tales of the Heart that is in the process of deleting thousands of fics, this site is getting too strict apparently.

You can stop it by signing a petition, I will post an explanation below this. It's been copied from Chris 'Pushy' Putnam's auther note in Tales of the Heart's third chapter, which isn't really a chapter.

_**-FF is trying to enforce restrictions on yaoi, yuri, violence, etc. I'm not really a fan of that myself, but every author has their own interest.**_

_**-Stop this by signing the petition on DarkHeartInSky's profile page.**_

_**-Stop this by participating in the Black Out Day**_

I'm sorry if this scared anyone, but I just thought you should know. To be honest, I was almost scared to update or post anymore beecause of this, but I will continue anyway. Oh, and Black Out Day is over, so the former option might be our best bet.

You can ignore it if the issue is already dealt with or if you want to. But if you care, please sign the petition, the more poeple sign, the more likely 's staff will take our thoughts into consideration.

Please feel free to review.


	10. To a Foreign Space

Mike AZ 2 here, I'm back and continuing where I left off.

Disclaimer: Dissidia: Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts and the Final Fantasy series were developed by Squaresoft. Don't ask me about Disney characters, those were created by Walt Disney.

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><p>Chapter IX: To a Foreign Space<p>

Sora and most of his group rushed out of the archives. Ventus stayed behind as he stood face-to-face with Sephiroth. The silver haired chaos warrior sneered"Do you actually think you can win?"

"I'd prefer to call this a gamble, but enough talk" said Ven.

Sephiroth lunged at the blond keyblade master and attempted to impale him with a Hell's Gate technique. Ventus dodged and countered, only to be met with materia attacks from Loz and Yazoo.

"Taking on all three of us, are you? You don't stand a chance" sneered Yazoo.

"Want to bet?" quipped Ventus, dashing in between his three opponents and let out a tornado spin attack. Sephiroth teleported out of the way, even as Loz and Yazoo were knocked back, and lashed out with a flurry of sword slashes. Ventus backed out of range and cast Fire.

"Yikes, tough guy eh?" murmered the silver haired gunner.

"Now, now, Yazoo. Don't try anything rash" said Sephiroth, not bothering to look away from Ven.

The blond Keyblade Master tossed his keyblade at Sephiroth, who dodged and cast Meteor. Ventus quickly got out of the way as he retrieved his keyblade and hit Sephiroth with a blizzard spell. The blond back-flipped to the exit"I'd hate to fight and run, but catch me if you can!"

As Ventus raced out of the archives, Loz and Yazoo attempted to fire materia at him. Sephiroth smirked and teleported off"Let's make this game of cat-and-mouse interesting, shall we?"

Ventus ran through the castle halls, turning to blast back Loz and Yazoo as they attempted to nuke him with materia magic. The blond keyblade master rushed out into the courtyard, only to be intercepted by Sephiroth and a group of about a dozen manikins.

"Your bravery is wasted" remarked the silver haired swordsman, brandishing his masamune.

"Wrong again, Sephiroth!" shouted Sora, as a Fira spell caught the Chaos Warrior off guard. Cloud and Tifa charged at Sephiroth, only for two of the manikins to intercept.

Sora and Aqua cast spells at Sephiroth, while Ventus tossed another Strike Raid attack on the silver haired swordsman. Sephiroth teleported out of the way of the projectiles while the Manikins aggressively charged at the heroes.

Sora, Aqua, Cloud and Tifa fought back the Manikins, but were tiring quickly. Sephiroth's face twised into a slight smirk as he began to prepare his own deadly summon attack"Supernova."

At the silver haired Chaos Warrior's command, a gigantic flaming ball of energy came right at the heroes. Sora, Serenia and Aqua put magic barriers around themselves and their allies to counter the intense magical attack. Sephiroth glanced triumphantly at the heroes"You wasted your breath."

No sooner had the Supernova spell connected, a ray of light based energy struck the Manikins and the Remnants. Loz grunted"Who did that?"

A boomerang knocked Yazoo's weapon out of his hands as a flurry of bullets struck the silver haired gunner. Serah and Noel, who'd just joined in the fight with the manikins, were pleasently surprised when four more people joined the fray.

"Reinforcements, eh? I'm afraid that won't be enough" said Sephiroth, casting a meteor spell. Ventus avoided the firey spell and zapped the silver haired Chaos Warrior with Thundaga.

Loz and Yazoo attempted to blast Ven with materia, only to recieve another blast of holy magick. A voice addressed the reinforcement who had the spell cast"Nice one, Hope."

"It's not over yet" said a black haired woman, glancing at Sephiroth.

Sora took the opprotunity to race to Ventus's side and cast Fira on Sephiroth. The silver haired warrior countered with Meteor, only to recieve a Omnislash Ver. 5 blow from Cloud.

Loz got back up and charged at Ven, ready to punch him in the chest. Tifa got in his way with a Meteotiwst and pounded the living daylights out of the enemy martial artist with Final Haven.

Nearby, Sephiroth had weakened from Cloud's omnislash and was about to cast another Supernova, when the black haired woman skewered him with her lance.

"Good one, Fang!" cheered a familiar copper-haired girl.

"Ready to give up, Sephiroth?" said Tifa, facing the injured warrior.

The silver haired swordsman stood up"Loz and Yazoo may have fallen, but I will assure you this is not the last you hear of me."

"Aren't you forgetting something, Kadaj? Aeroga!" Sora cast a spell on the swordsman before finishing him with a powerful flurry of blows with his keyblade.

* * *

><p>Watching the battle from atop the roof of the Land of Departure's castle, another silver haired warrior grimaced"This is turning out perfectly. The remnants wear them down, and soon I shall have easy pickings."<p>

"Don't get carried away, brother. There are still too many" said another figure.

"Perhaps it is true, Nero. Very well, we'll withdraw and see how things turn out from here" said the silver haired man.

Nero glanced towards the fallen Sephiroth, who'd reverted back into Kadaj"That remnant could still prove useful. Brother, you should return to base while I retrieve the fallen body."

"I have no doubts about your abilities, but remember that I'm the leader of the Tsveits" responded his brother.

* * *

><p>Back in the battle, Sora and his friends had managed to defeat Kadaj, Loz and Yazoo. The brunette hero squared his shoulders"That was easy."<p>

"It seems you were underestimated" said a voice, as a dark haired man with a blue and black outfit appeared before the heroes.

Ventus felt a vague dark aura emiting from the man"What are you?"

The man responded"I may as well tell you, as I'm afraid it won't do you any good. My name is Nero, that is all I will tell you."

"Go pack your bags, your boss won't succeed with whatever he's planning" said Sora.

Nearby, Kadaj stood up, despite his injury"If case you're wondering, this battle was just a warm up. Did you perchance think that the appearence of Kuja and the Cloud of Darkness was a coincidence?"

Ventus scoffed"Like we care, and how did you know that?"

Kadaj sneered as he resumed the form of Sephiroth"The forces of discord are enhanced by the Twilight Eclipse. Despite the increase of the power of light, the world order is in for a rough ride."

"Stay in my memories where you belong, Sephiroth! Meteorain!" Cloud cast one of his devastating limit breaks. Nero and Sephiroth vanished out of the way as the meteorain blasted the remaining manikins.

Tifa was astonished"The nerve of those guys. There is never an ounce of decency among the warriors of Discord, how was Sephiroth able to revive himself easily anyway?"

"Who knows?" said Cloud.

The heroes' four reinforcements stood by their side. Hope, now a platinum haired man with a white jacket over a t-shirt and pair of pants spoke"I'm happy we weren't too late, Sora."

"Hope? You've really grown" smiled Vanille.

The platinum-haired young man nodded"Yeah, though I wish we were visiting under better circumstances."

"Did Cosmos or Lightning send you here?" inquired Tifa.

Hope shook his head"I haven't heard from Lightning or Cosmos. Snow, Fang, Vanille and I were on our seperate ways, I had joined the Academia to uncover the secrets to my home world's history. But then, in the middle of broad daylight, the sun seemed to get a bit dim."

"The Twilight Eclipse... It's full effects are yet unknown. But I doubt it's too pleasent" shrugged Cloud.

Fang chimed in"I heard that some of the Academia's researchers had rushed to get their eyes examined. Hope, Snow, Vanille, Sazh and I formed a group with a couple of Academia's members and set out to investigate in a Gummi Ship. Gummi Ships are not hard to build, after all. They've been more common, lately."

Serenia was astonished"Things are really just getting wierder."

"My thought exactly kid" said Sazh.

"Where's your gummi ship?" inquired Sora.

Hope gestured to the outer areas of the Land of Departure"We didn't want to get in the way, so we landed our custom ship, the Guiding Wind, beyond the courtard."

"Then we saw you guys fighting Sephiroth and some of his goons and came here to help you" said Snow, cheekily.

"But if Sephiroth and the Cloud of Darkness are active, I can't help but think it might mark the rebirth of Chaos. Sounds impossible, but there were Manikins here as well" said Cloud.

Sora shrugged"That's probably not the case, though we still don't know exactly what we're dealing with."

Noel addressed Hope"Did you find anything out while you were at it?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't know the whole story behind our current situation" sighed the platinum haired young man.

"Director Esthiem!" called a voice as another young woman approached the group.

Hope addressed the woman"What's up, Alyssa?"

"The Guiding Wind's radar just picked up some kind of anomaly" replied the woman.

Sora was amazed"So you're actually the director of a group called the Academy?"

Hope shrugged"Yeah, though research is not the only focus of our goal. I also wanted to find a source of power for Coccoon that dosen't rely on the fal'Cie. I put that on hold so I could investigate the mysterious eclipse, we came here by chance."

"Snow, you're here!" cried Serah, spotting the blond man with the bandana.

Snow grinned"Glad you're okay, Serah."

"I hate to break up this reunion, but we need to get a move on" interrupted Cloud.

Sora glanced up to the sky for a moment to see a white glow not too far from the eclipsed sun"Yeah, we have a lot to do. We don't know where the Twilight Crystal, the source of the eclipse's magic, is. I will explore the worlds beyond that vortex up there, but we don't know if Sephiroth will attack this place again."

"I've been a little busy, so I can't really go fight alongside you. Some of us should probably remain here, if that's all right" said Hope.

Aqua nodded"I don't mind having guests here, there is an archive if you want to find something out. Last I checked, the records go back to just before the worlds were divided from each other."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind" acknowledged the platinum haired young man.

Sora addressed Serenia and Tyler"Maybe you two should stay here, we don't know what to expect beyond that vortex."

"We're still coming with you, I feel like I can learn more by traveling then if I stayed here" insisted the young red-head.

"Besides, adventuring is fun and all, we're not afraid of the Twilight Eclipse" piped the young blue headed teen.

Sora sighed after a brief moment"If you're sure, I won't stop you. Just remember that you barely had a few lessons in spells and keyblades, the Chaos Warriors and the Heartless won't exercise restraint just because of your youth."

Serah addressed Snow"Are you coming with us?"

"Why not? I gotta get in on the action" grinned her boyfriend.

Fang smirked"Typical hero behavior, not that I'd expect less. I'm going on this adventure as well."

"What about me?" whimpered Vanille.

"Stay with Hope, missy" responded the older Pulsian.

Vanille and Hope glanced at each other for a brief moment. The former turned to address Fang"Okay, but please be careful."

Sazh shrugged"I'm gonna stay here as well, adventuring dosen't cut it for me these days. Sora, Serah, give soldier girl my regards, okay?"

"We will" said the younger girl.

Ventus addressed the blue haired keyblade master"Want to come with us, Aqua?"

Aqua shook her head"I need to stay here, Ven. Just make sure nothing happens to Tyler, okay?"

"We'll be fine" said Ven, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

Tyler gave Aqua a hug"Sorry to make you worry, I just can't stand still when Serenia is risking her life with everyone else."

"I'll be okay, just be careful" whispered Aqua, hugging her son back.

Sora glanced back towards the Ragnarok II"Okay, if we're ready, we have some worlds to explore. If we're lucky, we might even find the location of the Twilight Crystal."

The group, minus Aqua, Hope, Vanille and Sazh, went back to the ship to prepare to head for their next destination. Cid addressed Sora"Ready for take off? That was quite a hectic fight over there."

"We're okay, Cid" said Serenia with a smile.

Sora addressed the pilot"We're headed for the vortex near the Land of Departure's location. Think the Ragnarok II can surivive the energy flux?"

"Who do you think you're talking to? We're off!" said Cid.

The heroes took off in the Ragnarok II towards the vortex. No sooner did they get close to the white paradox that the ship surged forward into the light. Moments later, it disapated, revealing a section of the Lanes Between that had a darker shade of blue. Sora was hit by deja vu at the sight of a nearby world.

"Is this the Realm of Sleep that Cosmos described?" inquired Serenia.

Sora nodded"Yeah, kind of, the world over there looks like one that Riku and I had been to."

Tifa glanced out a nearby window"It's still kind of pretty here. What do you think, Cloud?"

"If you say so" shrugged the spikey-haired blond.

"Well, let's check out the worlds in this section. I can't say for sure we'll find the exact location of our goal, but I'd like to take the chance of exploring new worlds here" said Sora.

* * *

><p>Back at Yoran's secret headquarters, Arlene spied on Nero and the silver haired man who brought back the silver haired Chaos Warrior'I had a feeling he'd slip, but what could Nero be up to?'<p>

"You must be mistaken if you think I'll join in your own plan, not that I'm one to talk" said Sephiroth.

"Oh, believe me, Omega will awaken. That silly Sanhille and Caius won't know what hit them, the worlds will know redemption, vengeance and nothingness. You, Loz and Yazoo were simply not spared for trivial matters" said the other silver haired man.

Lumaria came up behind Arlene"Care to explain why you're eavesdropping on our allies?"

"Quiet, Lumaria. I just don't trust that creep Nero and his brother. Then, there's Kadaj. I never had to worry about traitors while in Organization XIII, but I swear I will catch those two red handed" whispered the blond woman.

Lumaria grimaced"Don't forget we were traitors ourselves, you're not one to talk."

Arlene sighed sharply before heading down the opposite corridor from the room where Nero and Sephiroth were talking. Lumaria stared after her for a moment before heading to address Sephiroth"Why don't you three let me in on what you're planning?"

"The time is not yet right, and you're not invited" grimaced Weiss.

"My partner seems to be suspecting you" spoke Lumaria.

Sephiroth shrugged"I have no desire to assist the Tsviets. But this could be quite entertaining."

"I doubt Caius or the other guy will move against us that easily, they simply don't know enough of Weiss's plan" sneered Nero.

* * *

><p>Okay, sorry for the delay but the next chapter is finally up. From this point, I will definately do some more 'world' chapters. Hm, I must not be thinking often enough, because I believe I just thickened the plot a bit. This fic may or may not be longer then my previous Kingdom HeartsDissidia crossover, but I'll see.

I'm thinking about including at least three or four disney and/or pixar worlds. Beyond that, expect another final fantasy world or two. That's all I can say without giving away too much. I want to keep spoilers to a minimum. I wonder if I should include characters from One Piece or Golden Sun.

Please feel free to review.


	11. La Jour De Amour

Okay, here's another chapter. Thanks again for reviews. This chapter contains spoilers from Hunchback of Nortre Dame II and Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance.

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts, Dissidia: Final Fantasy and the Final Fantasy series in general was created by Square Enix. Disney owns the rights to the Disney characters, locations, etc.

* * *

><p>Chapter X: La Jour De Amour<p>

As Cid piloted the Ragnarok II close to the world in question, Sora recognized the general outline of the world in question"Looks like the Realm of Sleep has really connected to the Realm of Light, somehow. But wait, was it still asleep? I wonder."

"Which world is this?" inquired Serenia.

Sora addressed his daughter"If what I'm seeing on the outline is right, we're at La Cite des Cloches, it means The City of the Bells. I know some people from there, we can go together if you want."

"Really?" smiled Serenia.

Sora nodded"Yes, there shouldn't be any trouble down there. Anyone else want to come explore it?"

"I'll go" said Tyler.

Ventus stood next to the small blue haired boy"Count me in as well, if there's any trouble, we'lll just ask some of the others for help. I think we're okay though, I don't sense any darkness down there."

"Cid, can you keep the ship running?" said Sora.

"You don't need to ask, I'll just go resupply at Radiant Garden if this thing runs low on fuel" grunted Cid.

The four went to the teleportation pad near the engine room and teleported down into the world. Upon landing, they found themselves in the middle of a huge marketplace.

"You've been here before, right Sora?" inquired Tyler.

"Yeah, I think so. Let's go look around" said Sora.

The four proceeded through the town to find it in a festive mood. At the square, Sora made his way through a crowd of people until he saw a familiar cathedral. Ventus breathed"That's one cool place."

"Let's go in" piped Tyler.

Sora's group entered the cathedral and headed up a set of stairs. They eventually entered a room at the top of the cathedral and saw three familiar people visiting with each other, with them was a small boy. One of the men had red hair, the other had blond, and the woman had black hair. Ventus approached them"Hey there."

The four people turned to see Sora and his group. The small boy, who had blond hair gazed at the red-haired teen"Hi."

"What's your name? I'm Serenia" said the red-haired girl.

"I'm Zephyr" said the blond boy with a friendly smile.

Sora addressed the black-haired woman and her friends"Do I know you? I'm Sora, do any of you recognize me?"

The woman let out a small sigh"I'm afraid I'm not sure if I should say 'nice to meet you' or 'good to see you again'. I'm Esmerelda, the blond man next to me is my husband, Pheobus."

"I'm Quasimodo" said the red-haired hunchback.

Sora grinned"Well either way, it's nice to see you all. Esmerelda, is the little boy who is with you your son?"

"You bet, my dad's captain of the guard. Mom's a dancer" chirped Zephyr.

Pheobus acknowledged Sora"I don't really know who you are, but I'd like to know what you're doing here."

"Just taking the sights, the town seemed very active today" said Sora.

"A celebration of romance called La Jour De Amour is taking place soon" explained Quasimodo.

Serenia smiled"That sounds interesting."

"A romantic festival... Guess I should've brought Kairi along. Never mind, is there anything special about it?" inquired Sora.

Esmerelda nodded"The Festival itself involves a man and a woman who are in love, married couples also attend. On the day of the festival, couples proclaim their love in front of the cathedral while the bell-ringer rings La' Fidele, the prettiest bell in Notre Dame."

"You bet, I can just picture me and Esmerelda standing before the cathedral loudly declaring our love" remarked Pheobus.

Serenia addressed the hunchback"Are you going to the festival?"

"No, I don't have anyone to invite."

"But then who's going to scream your name?" Zephyr inquired.

"No one will" sighed Quasimodo, sadly.

Sora shrugged"Well, that all sounds fun either way."

"Oh, and a circus came to town as part of the festival. I'm gonna go see it with my mama and papa" grinned the small blond boy.

"I've never seen a circus before, it sounds fun" whispered Tyler.

Serenia addressed Sora"Can we see the circus, too?"

"Why not? I think we can spare a little free time from our quest" grinned the brunette keyblade master.

Zephyr addressed the teenage girl"The circus starts this evening, I bet you'll like it."

"I bet it's going to be funny, I'm looking forward to it" smiled Serenia.

Sora's group exchanged a quick goodbye to Quasimodo's group, hoping to see them at the circus in the town square. As the group left Notre Dame, Ventus addressed Sora"My heart was still asleep at the time, but you've been to this world, right?"

"Yeah, it's the same place, I guess the events that Riku and I saw before happened as soon as the world was awoken from sleep" he replied.

"What was the realm of sleep like?" chirped the teenage girl.

Sora shrugged"I don't remember it too well, but the Realm of Sleep consisted of worlds that were never fully restored after Xehanort's heartless was defeated. Riku and I went there to unlock the seven keyholes, but we fell into Xehanort's trap. I don't understand why this world is still in the Realm of Sleep, but let's not get too down about it."

"So what'll we do until evening?" piped Serenia.

"We're returning to the Ragnarok II, I thought we'd get some training done" replied Sora.

The group went close to the city gates and warped. They had not known they were being followed, however. The pink-haired man Lumaria had just warped into the world, accompanied by Arlene"Hmph, if what Sanhille says is correct, there may be a twilight shard here."

"This world's keyhole has it, right? So what are we waiting for?" said Arlene, impatiently.

"Sora will find it soon enough, that's when we'll snatch it from right under his nose" grinned Lumaria.

* * *

><p>Sora and his group had lunch and trained until the sun began to set. Serah addressed the brunette keyblade master"So what was it like down in that world?"<p>

"It's great so far, a festival is taking place in the town. A circus show is also scheduled there" grinned Sora.

"A Circus? That sounds fun" beamed Serah.

Snow grinned"Want to go see it, Serah?"

"Why not?" his girlfriend smiled.

Sora addressed Serenia and Tyler"Are you about ready?"

"Yep" his daughter grinned.

"Cloud, we should go too. I'd like to see the show" smiled Tifa.

"I guess" muttered the blond swordsman.

The group headed for the teleportation room and warped back to their destination. Tifa glanced at the sight when they arrived"It's a beautiful city, don't you think so Cloud?"

"I suppose" replied the blond Ex-Soldier.

The group traveled a short distance towards the town square. Quasimodo, Phoebus, Esmerelda and Zephyr were standing among a crowd of people in front of a wooden stage. The little boy smiled as he saw Serenia"Hey guys, glad you could come."

"The circus show must be really good if this many people came to see it" remarked Tifa.

Sora glanced towards the stage"I have a good feeling about it, but at the same time, I wonder..."

"Sora?" Tifa looked worriedly at him.

"It's nothing" he shrugged.

A few moments passed before a dark-haired man in black and purple clothes appeared onto the stage"Welcome to Circe De Sarousch, ladies and gentlemen."

"Wow" Tyler, Serenia and Zephyr watched in amazement with everyone else as the show began. The magician Sarousch started off the circus show with an elephant disappearing act.

The circus show was entertaining, as the audience enjoyed it. Sora and Zephyr noticed Quasimodo gazing at a blond young woman who is Sarousch's assistant. Sora prodded him"Quasi?"

"Hey, Quasi. You're making googly eyes at your girlfriend" piped Zephyr, referring to the blond woman. The circus show meanwhile was nearing it's climax.

The red-haired hunchback snapped out of his trance, embarrassed"Oh, she's not, well we're not-Zephyr!"

"Heh" Sora was amused at the sight, Quasimodo and Zephyr were best friends from what he could tell.

"Sora, we should go now. The show's just about over" said Cloud.

"Well, the show was pretty cool" remarked Snow.

Sora and his group left the square and headed out-of-town so they could teleport back to the ship. Tyler remarked as they returned"How cool was that circus? I thought the disappearing act was amazing."

"Me too" smiled Sereina.

"It's getting pretty late, we should probably hit the hay for the night" said Tifa.

Sora nodded"I was thinking that, myself. We should probably go somewhere else tomorrow, there was nothing unusual going on that we need investigate."

"Hold on, while you guys were gone, I sensed a dark presence down there all of a sudden. Probably some of Sanhille's goons" frowned Ventus.

"What could he be up to now? Sounds as though they're glued to our boots" sighed the red-haired teen.

"Let's check it out in the morning, we can't do much at the moment." shrugged Sora.

As the brunette Keyblade Master went into one of the ship's bedrooms, Tifa addressed the blond swordsman"If we stuck around long enough, we could attend the festival. What do you think?"

"Not interested" shrugged Cloud.

"Oh, come on, don't tell me you're too shy for it" teased the Martial Artist.

"I just can't put it past you, huh Teef?" smiled her boyfriend.

* * *

><p>Morning came as Sora woke up and went to make breakfast in the galley. The others filed in shortly after as he made pancakes for his entire group, Tifa smiled"Smells good in here."<p>

"Yeah, well, I haven't had many opportunities to cook since I left on my current quest" flushed the brunette hero.

The group sat and ate pancakes, while talking about the day's plan. Serenia piped up around a bite of her portion of their breakfast"So who's going to investigate the darkness that Master Ven detected?"

Sora thought for a moment"It's probably nothing serious. Roxas, Xion, Ven and I will go down there to make sure everything's okay, but it seems unlikely that we would run into our enemies."

"Better safe then sorry, right?" said Serah.

"What about Tyler and me?" piped Serenia.

Sora closed his eyes for a moment in thought before saying"I don't have a problem with you exploring La Cite Des Cloches some more, maybe Noel and Serah can go with you. Everyone else can hold the fort, what do you guys think?"

"You can always count on us" smiled Ven.

"You don't need to ask" replied Xion.

"Babysitting can get old sometimes, but I'm in" grinned Noel.

Serah turned to address Snow"Are you coming with us again?"

"Why not? I'd hate to miss out on the fun" grinned the blond Martial Artist.

Sora and his group went to the teleportation room after finishing breakfast and teleported to the city square. Serenia turned to her group as Sora went to look around the square"I'd like to visit the cathedral again, I've been there. Do you mind?"

"Not at all" replied Serah.

Sora said a brief 'see you later' to his daughter before going to a nearby tent. Xion spoke up"Do you think someone will know whoever we're looking for?"

"Probably not, but we might come across some rumors" said Roxas, calmly.

The group entered the tent to find Quasimodo and Esmerelda talking. The black haired woman recognized them"Good day."

"Hi, we were just checking out the sights. Quasi, how was last night?" grinned Sora.

The bell ringer replied"I barely got any sleep last night, I felt restless all of a sudden."

"Is it about that blond girl from the circus show?" inquired Sora, smiling.

"Yes, and her name is Madellaine. She and I talked together and took a walk together" replied Quasimodo.

Sora grinned"I bet you took quite a liking to each other."

"Hey guys" piped a voice as Zephyr entered the room.

"Hi, how are things?" said Sora, addressing the boy.

Just then, Pheobus entered the tent, muttering"That circus is responsible for a string of robberies."

"Something wrong?" frowned Sora.

The blond man sighed"Yeah, there had been a series of thefts, several villagers lost their money and jewelry. I can't assume it was a coincidence."

Zephyr was oblivious to his father's words"Dad, the circus was awesome, can I join it?"

"No" replied Pheobus.

Sora was shocked"You can't mean... Hold on, even if there was a theft, the thief could've been anyone."

"I was informed that a blond girl was involved" said the captain.

"Madellaine? No, she can't be, she is my friend" frowned the Hunchback.

"Yeah, well, maybe. And maybe she's using you, I mean, look at the fact!" persisted Pheobus.

"Find some, and I will" responded the Bell Ringer as he left the tent in annoyance.

Roxas shook his head"I'm going to go spy on the circus ringmaster to see if your claims are true, the Ringmaster is usually responsible for his troupe's actions. What's his name?"

"He's a black-haired man called Sarousch" replied the blond man.

Roxas nodded"I'll find him as soon as I can, but if I find out you are wrong-"

"Let's not threaten anyone, okay Roxas?" sighed Xion.

Sora and his group left the tent, Zephyr and Esmerelda left shortly after, upset at Pheobus's suspicion. The brunette keyblade master addressed Xion"Think Roxas can find the thief?"

"Possibly, but I thought I sensed Lumaria's presence when we came back, Roxas might have a bit of trouble. Let's explore the city further" replied the black-haired Keybearer.

"Can't hurt to go sightseeing" chimed Ventus.

* * *

><p>Serah Farron gaped at the cathedral Notre Dame as her group approached it"It looks amazing."<p>

"I guess no one on Coccoon or Gran Pulse was religious enough to build one of those" shrugged Noel.

"My, fancy meeting you here" said a voice. Noel, Serah and Snow braced themselves as a silver-haired figure clad in white and black appeared"Oh, do forgive my lack of introduction. I am Kuja."

"Kuja? As in one of Chaos's warriors? I heard of you" said Serenia.

Kuja sneered"Fancy meeting you here in a place like this, but I'm not simply here to chat. You meddlesome insects know of the Twilight Crystal and are the ones Sephiroth warned me about."

"Go pack your bags, we'll kick your butt out of this world" said Noel, taking out his blade.

"Don't get cocky on me now, let us set the stage for your defeat!" snarled Kuja, just as several Manikins appeared.

Snow charged at one of the Manikins and punched at it, only for it to dodge and slash him. Serah cast Cure on her boyfriend while Noel took down a Manikin before engaging another in a duel.

Serenia and Tyler summoned their keyblades"How about some KID power?"

Kuja cruelly humored them by casting Flare. Serenia barely dodged while Serah shot an arrow at their opponent. Snow and Noel fought off the Manikins before rushing to the young Keybearers' aid.

"I'm just getting warmed up" snarled the Chaos Warrior, flinging Ultima at the group. Serah desperately cast shell and protect on her allies, while Noel swung his blade at their adversary.

Kuja dodged and countered with Flare. Noel's barrier stopped most of the blow, but he was still burnt. Serenia and Tyler cast magic on the Chaos Warrior, taking him off guard.

"Ready to give up?" smirked Snow.

Kuja surprised the group with a final Ultima"You fell right into my trap, which was all too easy to perform. But fear not, I will not kill you, this is my command performance."

"Just as anticipated, now for the rest of Lumaria's plan" said Weiss as he appeared.

Serah groaned as she struggled to stand"You won't get away with this."

"Really? But I already have. Sora's nobody will undoubtably find us, Lumaria recently planted a note at his destination" grinned Weiss.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, as the rest of the afternoon passed, Sora and his group enjoyed the sights. Xion's thoughts strayed as she began to worry for Roxas, who had been gone for hours.<p>

Ventus stopped for a moment as he saw a couple soldiers rush through the area"I hate to be negative, but I think something bad has just happened."

"You feel it, too?" frowned Xion.

Sora hurried over to the nearest guard, who was currently on patrol"Is there something wrong?"

"Haven't you heard the news? One of Notre Dame's bells have been stolen" frowned the man.

"What? How can someone steal a bell?" frowned Sora.

"I don't know the details, but we're currently hunting the thief" said the soldier.

Sora thought for a moment before saying"Hey, maybe we can help. I doubt whoever's behind it will get far, will you let us help catch the culprit?"

"I appreciate it, but you need to talk to the captain. He's currently at the Palace of Justice, it's east of here" said the soldier.

Sora's group quickly ran to the palace. Stopping only to ask for directions, they came upon the dungeon, where Quasimodo's group was in the middle of a discussion.

"Sora, did you hear what happened?" said Esmerelda, seeing the Keyblade Master enter.

Sora nodded"Yeah, but have you seen Roxas? He had gone to find the thief."

"Oh I'm sure we'll find him soon enough. We have the whole city on alert" said Pheobus.

The blond woman from the circus show, who was currently locked in the nearby cell, spoke"You're looking in all the wrong places. Sarousch is using a hidden passage, there was always a tunnel under the stage. It's the same as the elephant disappearing act."

"He could be using the catacombs" said Esmerelda.

Phoebus shook his head"That might be true, but she could also be saying what Saroucsh wants her to say. We go underground: He slips right out of town."

"Sarousch? The magician from the show? That's a surprise, didn't sense any darkness in his heart" frowned Sora.

Xion hurried over to where the blond woman was imprisoned"You're Madellaine, right? I'm Xion."

"Don't talk to the prisoner, we can't trust in her words" interjected Pheobus,

"Phoebus, wait, I want you to at least try. Try to trust her words and take the chance, like you did with me" whispered Esmerelda.

Phoebus hesitated before taking a set of keys out of his pocket"All right, but she's coming along as a prisoner."

Sora turned to address the Hunchback"Did something happen, Quasi? You've been quiet over there."

The Hunchback sighed"Pheobus was right... Madellaine and I were getting along well until..."

"She betrayed you, why that-" Xion turned to slap Madellaine in the face.

"Xion, wait, there has to be an explanation. I can feel it in her heart, she was forced into it. Am I right, ma'am?" said Ven.

Madellaine nodded weakly"Yes, it was only to protect Quasi from getting hurt. I wanted to convince Saroucsh not to steal La Fidele, but he made me."

"Let's move it already, we can't let that madman get away. I was such a fool for not realizing it earlier" said Phoebus impatiently as he tied Madellaine's hands together with some rope.

"Quasi, you coming with us? I'm in it to help nab the thief and recover the bell" said Sora.

"You heard about La Fidele? Yeah, I'm coming" said the hunchback, quietly.

The entire group left the palace, and proceeded down to the catacombs. A little way in, Xion saw a familiar blond figure laying unconcious on the ground"Roxas!"

Roxas woke up and slowly stood up"Xion... Sora... Sorry I was absent for this long."

"You're hurt, who did this to you?" said Sora.

The blond nobody sighed"I went to the cathedral not longer then an hour ago, I saw a man with dark hair and two orange clad men enter the bell tower and made one of the bells vanish somewhere. a blond boy, a goat, and the three gargoyles were there, but were helpless."

"Zephyr's been missing, now that you mention it" frowned Quasimodo.

"What happened beyond that, Roxas?" pressed Xion as she administrated a potion.

The nobody sighed"There's more, I had found a note from Lumaria and someone called Kuja, Serenia and some of our allies had just been abducted. I rushed down here to save them, but I was ambushed by Manikins."

"Manikins? So Chaos isn't gone for good?" said Sora.

"Beats me, but we should hurry. I think I feel the blond boy's presence as well" said Roxas.

Just then, a bleeting sound came and a goat and Serenia rushed into the area. Sora wrapped his arms around the red-haired teen"Thank good you're safe, we heard you were captured."

Serenia nodded"Yeah, but I was able to escape, Weiss was too stupid to take the keyblade off me and block my spells with Silence. This goat had also escaped captivity from someone else, we have to hurry."

"We're on it" said Sora.

"Djali, thank goodness" Esmerelda smiled as she greeted her pet goat.

"Zephyr's probably ahead as well" said Sora.

The group ventured deeper into the catacombs until they came to an underground waterway. Sora glanced at a closed gateway and frowned"Where are the others? And I thought we'd find Sarousch here as well."

"Wait, he's nearby" said Ventus as a small boat came into view.

Phoebus glanced in the direction of the boat which carried the stolen bell and recognized two of the passagers"Sarousch!"

The dark-clad man seemed hardly surprised as he saw Sora's group"Captain, I'm surprised to see you down here."

Pheobus drew his sword"You're not going anywhere Sarousch, now release the boy!"

Ha, I have a little leverage right here. Open the gate, or I can't guarantee the boy's safety" grinned the man, holding Zephyr threateningly over the edge of the boat.

"Mama! Papa!" cried Zephyr.

Madellaine addressed Quasimodo"He means it Quasi, he'll hurt Zephyr. I can help save him, just untie me."

"Why? So you can escape with Sarousch?" said Quasimodo, still hurt by her 'betrayal.'

Phoebus lowered his sword, knowing he wouldn't be able to save his son. Instead, he shealthed his weapon and went to open the gateway. Sarousch grinned evily as his boat passed"Bravo, captain."

Madellaine desparately turned to the hunchback again"Trust me."

'How can I? I already made that mistake' thought Quasimodo. After a moment's hesitation, he removed the rope from Madellaine's wrists and the pair went upstairs. Seeing the gateway opening, Sora felt a dark aura and rushed outside the catacombs. Two more people were waiting at the exit, it was Arlene and Lumaria.

"Well, well, you've taken the bait" grinned Arlene.

Sora summoned his keyblade"What are you two after? And where's Tyler?"

"You called?" Tyler, Neol, Serah and Snow rushed down a nearby hill. Accompanying them were Cloud and Tifa.

"Bah, the tides are against us after all. We should never have followed Weiss, Lumaria" growled Arlene.

"Cloud, Tifa, thanks for the backup" grinned Sora.

The blond Cosmos Warrior nodded"Noel managed to send us a distress signal. Tifa and I tracked down and took the enemy off their guard and freed Serenia before proceeding to beat Kuja's ilk to a pulp. We rescued the rest of Noel's group while we were at it."

"Improvising is one trick I still have up my sleeve" snarled said Chaos Warrior as he appeared.

Sora smiled"Ready to give up?"

"Look" Tifa pointed, seeing what looked like a tightrope and a blond woman walking on it. A boat passed just below it when the blond woman plunged, grabbed something and stood back onto the rope.

On the boat, Sarousch scowled as he saw his old assistant"What do you think you're doing?"

"Just standing here looking pretty" said Madellaine coolly as she held the recently rescued blond boy.

Phoebus, Ventus, Xion and Roxas hurried out of the catacombs and proceeded to capture Sarousch and his two cronies. The evil magician wailed"Oh no, not the face, watch the face!"

"Pathetic magician" sighed Kuja, as he pulled out a dark crystal and summoned forth a portal.

"Oh, I'd say he's as much of a narcissist as you" muttered Arlene.

Weiss appeared"Your plan seems to have failed, two withdraw."

Arlene scowled"Ooh, we'll get you little beasts, yet!"

Kuja finished summoning the portal and a multi-colored Heartless appeared. The humanoid figure with vine-like limbs was familiar to Sora, it was the Trickmaster.

"What the heck is that thing?" gasped Phoebus.

Sora turned to address the good captain"Just take Zephyr and Madellaine and go. I've got this."

The Trickmaster hurled a fireball at the boat, which Ven deflected with his keyblade. Sora attacked the Heartless with a Blizzard spell, only for it to jump back a ways and cast a spell in retaliation. Sora blocked with Shell and hurled his keyblade into the monster. The Trickmaster staggered and retaliated by igniting its weapons and swinging them at Sora.

"Hang in there, Sora. OMNISLASH!" Cloud launched a flurry of sword slashes onto the Trickmaster. The Heartless staggered again and cast a spell when Tifa performed her Meteotwist attack on it.

"My goodness, it seems I made quite a boo-boo. Sora, is it? The worlds beyond here may provide even more challenges then what you faced here, come after me if you dare!" snarled Kuja before disappearing.

"I already can't stand Kuja's corny lines" groaned Serenia, casting a spell at the Trickmaster to help Sora. The monster cast two more fireballs at the two, only for Xion to hit it with Blizzard.

Just as the Trickmaster was weakening, a Manikin of Sora appeared. Sora sighed"Great, another one."

"We'll finish off the Heartless, just go after that manikin" said Tifa.

Sora nodded and charged at the Manikin. The Manikin pulled forth a mirror version of the Kingdom Key and swung, Sora dodged and hit the Manikin with Fire. The Manikin survived the spell and attempted a Strike Raid.

Cloud, Tifa, Xion and Ventus fought the Trickmaster head-on. The monster cast more fireballs as it nimbly dodged most of the heroes' attacks. Serenia and Tyler cast Thunder and Blizzard respectively onto the Trickmaster. The Heartless staggered back and unleashed three fireballs.

Sora dodged the Manikin's attack and countered with a Strike Raid of his own. The Manikin staggered and cast Triple Fira at Sora, who dodged again and slammed his keyblade into the monster. The Manikin disappeared in a flash of light, defeated"Manikins are broken records" he commented.

The Trickmaster continued its barrage of spells at Xion's group, who dodged out of the way as best they could. Ventus addressed Roxas and Xion"Triple whammy?"

"You're on" said Roxas.

"Let's try it" replied Xion.

Xion froze the Trickmaster in place with Blizzaga, just as Ventus cast Tornado to toss it into the air. Roxas leapt as high as he could and drove his keyblade into the Trickmaster's body. The Heartless broke up into particles and vanished.

"Ha, that got'em" said Ventus, grinning.

"Thanks a lot for your help, but what were those?" pondered Phoebus.

"The monsters were dark forces from another world, in fact there's a strange threat headed our way" said the brown haired Keybearer.

"I guessed as much, Sora, you are from another world. I never thought there were until we saw you and some the two strangers, I could see none of you were from Paris" said Esmerelda.

Quasimodo addressed Madellaine"How's Zephyr?"

"He's fine, I handed him back to Esmerelda and we kept him from seeing the fight. It wouldn't have been good to let him get nightmares from it" replied the blond woman.

Roxas turned to the three unconcious thieves on the boat, he had cast Sleep on them"What about Sarousch?"

"I'll have the criminals put behind bars. Madellaine on the other hand is free to go, she helped save Zephyr, I was wrong to doubt her" said Phoebus.

Within moments, a yellowish keyhole appeared. Sora turned to Roxas"We may have both have to use our keyblades on that."

"I concur" nodded his nobody.

The two pulled out their keyblades and pointed them at the keyhole. Beams of light shot out and zapped the magic hole, causing it to glow. As it vanished, an orange shard fell slowly from the sky. Sora took it in hand"A shard?"

"Maybe it has something to do with the Twilight Crystal" supplied Roxas.

"What's with the light show?" whispered Zephyr from his mother's arms.

"My group and I will have to leave soon, there is a big mystery to unfold" responded Sora.

"Hey, why not participate in the festival with us?" asked Qasimodo.

Sora smiled"I guess we can spare the time."

* * *

><p>Sarousch was now in prison awaiting trial for his crimes. Madellaine was pardoned and she and Quasimodo renewed their friendship. On the day of the festival, couples gathered around the church square to loudly declare their love as Quasimodo rang La Fidele, which is back in it's rightful place.<p>

Sora smiled as he watched the festival"It's a beautiful occasion."

"I agree" said Xion.

Phoebus and Esmerelda loudly declared their love as husband and wife, and the bell stopped ringing for a moment after. Before Sora's eyes, Quasimodo and Madellaine loudly proclaimed their love for each other as Zephyr rang the bell.

"I love Madellaine!"

"I love Quasimodo!"

Sora grinned'Congrats.'

"So now where to, Sora?" inquired Ventus.

Sora squared his shoulders"We found one piece of the mystery, there could be other shards out there. We'll keep exploring the worlds until we find as many shards as possible, it could be the key to dispelling the Twilight Eclipse."

The group watched the festival a little longer before saying good-bye to Quasimodo and his friends. Zephyr addressed Serenia"Can you come back and see me sometime?"

"Zephyr... I'm sorry, but I am not from your world. I can't promise I'll return, but maybe you will meet another girl you might like as you get older. Besides, we barely even know each other" replied the teenage red-head.

"You're right, sorry I was being selfish" said the small blond.

Serenia smiled"That's okay."

"Hey Sora, don't you think it's about time we left? Snow's starting to get on my nerves" said Cloud.

"Cloud, Tifa, before we leave, why not proclaim your love here? I know the festival is just about over, but do you mind?" said Sora.

"Go ahead, it's part of the festival" Madellaine urged Tifa.

Cloud shrugged"As long as I don't have to do anything else embarrassing."

"Sure thing" blushed the brunette martial artist.

Cloud and Tifa stood back, Quasimodo proceeded to ring the bell again as the couple proclaimed:

"I love Tifa!"

"I love Cloud!"

In the background, Serah and Snow shouted each other's names around the same time. Sora grinned, he still thought he should've brought Kairi along, but he knew his wife's safety was important.

"Gosh, this festival was so romantic" breathed Serenia.

"You bet" grinned Tyler.

* * *

><p>Man, the next time I take this long, you can go ahead and flame me. Oh, and I know sleep isn't a spell in Kingdom Hearts, KHII, Days, Chain of Memories, Coded or Birth By Sleep. Dream Drop Distance probably didn't have it either, but I added it for good measure. Not to mention this is my longest chapter in this story yet.<p>

Oh, and if you want me to change the title, please let me know. Only the beginning and ending segments of the chapter were the actual festival. Huh, now that I notice, Cloud and Tifa were likely a bit OOC here. Kuja probably is as well, I have not played Final Fantasy IX in a while.

The One Piece gang may not be in for another few chapters, I don't know how I can fit them in outside Luffy and his crew's universe.


	12. Return to Neverland

Okay, this next chapter will feature another world from the KH series. Hm, I wonder how I can include Agrabah, Halloween Town, Atlantica and/or the Grid into this fic, the Grid and Space Paranoids pretty much sum up the movies Tron and Tron: Legacy.

As obvious as the title seems, there are spoilers from Peter Pan: Return to Neverland included. I might be off a few details, but I apologize in advance. A slight spoiler from Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days

Disclaimer: Let's just say that all Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts games are Square's creations. Walt Disney created and owns the Disney movies, characters etc.

* * *

><p>Chapter XI: Return to Neverland<p>

Sanhille coolly addressed Lumaria, Kuja, Arlene and Weiss"I can only assume you had your own plan, now it seems that Sora holds one of the Twilight Shards. Taking Hostages isn't the way I do business, the princess of heart a possible exception. Only those with pure hearts can unlock the secrets to the pendant Droul stole."

"But why the queen of Radiant Garden and not the princess? If we all attacked at the same world together, surely Sora would've been destroyed" grimaced the white-haired Chaos Warrior.

"I will not make my move on that world just yet, and no one needs to die if I can avoid it. It matters not if Sora manages to collect all the shards first. However, I asked Raines to monitor possible worlds our opponents may visit. One more thing, my patience only holds out for so long. The next I hear if one among you so much as attacks and needlessly employs such cowardly methods, my keyblade may well be the last thing you see" warned Sanhille.

Kuja shrugged"Key-bearers are indeed not to be trifled with, and the Manikins are pure coincidence last I checked. Ah, well, I must be on my way back to my home world. My dear brother is in for a unpleasant surprise."

The other man paused for a moment"I only wish to banish the darkness, war is the least of my concerns. If my hunch is right, it can be done and I can finally rest."

* * *

><p>Sora and his group traveled between lanes in the mixed realms. Noel, Serah and a few others went into the main hall of the Ragnarok II to discuss how to go on about their explorations.<p>

"The recent battle with Kuja and Sanhille's goons was quite embarrassing" remarked Tifa.

"I'd personally not expect less from Chaos's warriors, they're just up to their old tricks" muttered Cloud.

Sora shrugged"Let's not sweat it, we're all okay and that's what matters. While we're at it, I wonder what world we'll get to next. I'm glad La Cite Les Cloches was returned from Sleep, but who knows what's next."

"Master Sora, Cid told me we're coming up on an island world" interrupted Tyler as he entered the room.

"Heh, just call me Sora, okay? What did it look like?" beamed the brunette hero.

The small blue haired teen replied eagerly"It looked like it was a small beach with a greenish landmass and a rainbow over it. Serenia and I were amazed at the sight of it."

'An island with a rainbow, sounds like Neverland' thought Sora, racing to the cockpit with the others.

Roxas and Xion were with Cid in the cockpit when they came in. Roxas addressed Sora"I remeber this world as well as you do, Ven told me he had been there too. Aqua and Terra probably have, but he never asked them."

"What kind of world is Neverland, father?" smiled Serenia.

Sora replied as he gazed at the island with the rainbow over it"You can call it a paradise for children, the only adults who live in Neverland are pirates or indians. A fairy also lives there, I think I told you about it before. I know the leader of the local group of lost kids who live there, his name is Peter Pan."

"Peter Pan lives there? Wow" gasped Tyler

Sora grinned for a moment"As I said, I've been here when I was still a teen. I am a grown-up now, I can't say Peter will be all that happy to see me again."

"How can anyone be such a child?" sighed Roxas.

"Hey, don't be a stick-in-the-mud. Peter doesn't have an adult's point of view on what it's like to be all grown-up, of course he would technically be an adult by now in years. His mentality and appearance are likely to be pretty much the same, so don't be surprised when you meet him" said Sora in Peter's defense.

"He sounds cool though, it's can't be easy leading a group of children on a remote island. I'd very much like to meet Peter" grinned Noel.

Sora thought as he considered how Peter Pan might react to seeing him as an adult"I might go down there, but I don't think I should let Peter Pan see me unless it's necessary. Serenia, Tyler, you two can go meet him if you want. Noel, Serah, Roxas, Xion, Ven, are you with us on this one?"

Serenia beamed"Why not? The place looks totally cool."

"Well what are we waiting for?" grinned Xion.

The group of eight teleported down onto Neverland, which is as vibrant as ever. Ven breathed in the fresh air"It's been a long time since I've been here, what do you think Tyler?"

"It's great" grinned the teenage boy.

"All right, let's split up into groups. Xion, Roxas, Serenia, Tyler, you'll form one group. The rest of us will keep an eye out for trouble" instructed Sora.

Roxas raised an eyebrow"I don't sense any Heartless here, are you sure?"

"Never can be too careful" murmured Xion.

Sora's group headed on northward, while Roxas led his towards the center of the woodland section of Neverland. Xion addressed her boyfriend"You've been here before, right?"

"Yes, back in our old organization days. I've never really met anyone there, I pretty much avoided them" said the male Nobody.

The group pressed on until they saw a red-haired girl with blue eyes and purple garments. With her is a green-clad teen with red hair and several kids dressed in animal-like clothing. Serenia approached the group"Um, excuse me."

The girl turns first"Who's there?"

"Sorry for the interruption, I'm Roxas" said the dark-clad key-bearer.

"I'm Xion. These two kids are Serenia and Tyler" chimed the black-haired woman.

The green-clad boy smiled"Welcome to Neverland, I'm the one and only Peter Pan."

"I'm Jane Darling" said the other girl.

"Nice to meet you" smiled Serenia.

Jane got right to the point"If you don't mind me asking, how did you get here? I was brought against my will, but enough about that. Where's your family?"

The red-haired key-bearer flushed"Sora and Kairi are my parents, Sora's here right now. Tyler is Master Ventus's son."

Peter beamed"You two are Sora's and Ven's children? I bet you'll love it here."

Tyler flushed"Um, actually, Sora and Ventus are here to explore the island as well. He has his reasons, but Sora thought it would be uncomfortable for you to see him again, because he's-"

"Tyler, remember what he said?" exclaimed Serenia.

"Ah, it's no big deal from the sound of it. You guys want to play? I'll ask Sora to join in when we run into him" beamed Peter.

Serenia flushed"Um, sure. You playing too, Jane?"

Jane nodded"Yes, you see, Peter and I got off to an awful start yesterday, even though he rescued me from Captain Hook. I lost my notebook because of Peter. I even lost my temper at his childishness, so we're making it up to each other."

"It's just great making new friends, and I am sorry we wrecked your notebook Jane. So what does everyone want to play?" grinned Peter.

Jane thought for a second"How about a game of treasure hunt?"

"A Treasure Hunt? Sounds great" grinned Serenia.

"Sounds like fun, what do you guys think?"

The Lost Boys cheerfully agreed with Peter. Roxas looked around"Hm, I don't see that little fairy around here. Did something happen to her?"

"Huh? Oh, Tinker Bell? She's not feeling well at the moment, but let's go" grinned Peter.

The whole group traversed throughout the island, getting to know each other as they talked. Tyler addressed Jane"How's your mom doing? Serenia and her dad talked about her and Peter Pan a couple years back."

"She's fine... I had a fall-out with her and my brother though..." sighed the older girl.

"Sounds like there's been a bit of drama" muttered Roxas.

Xion shrugged"Let's not get to wrapped up in situations that aren't your business. Hm, I bet I could find the treasure before everyone else if I teleport, but that wouldn't be fair would it?"

The group split up near a cave to look for the treasure, Serenia and Tyler went along with Jane to the cave itself. Inside, there was a treasure chest with a mountain of gold nearby.

"Whoa" whispered Tyler, astonished.

Jane appeared to think for a moment, as he pulled a silver whistle out of her shirt pocket. Serenia frowned"What's wrong?"

Jane sighed"Actually, last night, I made a deal with Captain Hook, he's a pirate. He said he'd take me back home if I helped him find some treasure that apparently had been stolen from him and his crew."

"Pirates are not to be trusted, they are fickle" frowned Roxas.

Jane nodded"Yeah, you're right. I will not help him, not in this manner." With that, she tossed the silver whistle away.

"Jane, Tyler, Serenia, you found it" called Peter as he and the lost boys showed up.

Tyler grinned"This was fun."

Peter smiled"All righty, let's celebrate."

While the others were talking, one of the lost boys found the silver whistle. Without a second thought, he blew it. At the sound of it, a group of pirates sprang out of the shadows.

"A trap?" squeaked Serenia.

"Very perceptive" sneered a voice as the pirate captain, a red-clad man with black hair and mustache approached. Where his left hand would've been, there was a silver hook.

"That's Captain Hook, I heard of him" whispered Tyler.

Hook sneered as his men captured the lost boys and bound Peter's hands behind his back. Tyler and Serenia summoned their keyblades, at which Hook laughed"Your friends' lives mean nothing, you two are helpless."

"Don't get cocky on us" Roxas and Xion rushed into the cave, Keyblades brandished.

Another instant later, a horde of Darkball, Wyvern and Elemental Heartless appeared. Xion frowned"We are only four people at this point."

"So much for you whelps. It's time for the prisoners to walk the plank!" snarled Hook.

"Wait, you swore you would not harm Peter Pan!" pleaded Jane.

"Ah, dear girl, you were mistaken. I swore I wouldn't harm a hair on his head, and this is the part I won't harm!" sneered the pirate captain, pulling out a strand of Peter Pan's hair.

Roxas scowled"You despicable-"

"Ah, ha, ha, you can't help Pan now" sneered Hook as he and the pirates hauled the prisoners away.

Peter shouted as he was dragged"You're a traitor, Jane. And because you don't believe in fairies, Tink's light is going out!"

Jane was shocked. Nearby, Roxas and his team faced the oncoming Heartless horde. Tyler was nervous as he held his keyblade"Think we can beat all of the monsters?"

"We have to try, we'll save Peter after this. Jane, head for cover" replied Roxas.

"What?" Jane froze in fear at the sight of the Heartless.

Xion launched a blizzard spell and thunder spell, eliminating the Element Heartless. The Darkballs surrounded her and struck, only for Roxas to teleport her out of the way. Serenia and Tyler attacked the Shadow Heartless, but there were around five-hundred heartless total.

Roxas sighed as he began to tire"This is getting out of hand."

"Fira!" A darkball heartless was wiped out. Sora, Noel, Serah and Ventus rushed into the cave and joined the skirmish.

'Goodness, it's like seeing a world war in person' thought Jane. A Darkball Heartless attempted to sneak up on her when it was cut down by Ventus's keyblade.

"Come on" Xion grabbed Jane's hand and led her out of the cave.

Ventus turned towards the remaining Heartless and cast a powerful Tornado spell on them. No sooner had the Heartless been defeated, Serenia addressed Sora"Thanks, how did you find us?"

"We were at the vicinity and saw some pirates sneaking up to the cave. We hid in the bushes until the pirates left, I noticed they were hauling prisoners away. We would've gone after them, but we sensed danger in the cave. Glad everyone's okay" eleborated Ventus.

Jane smiled"Indeed, thanks, but... Oh no, Tink!" she rushed out.

"Did something happen?" frowned Ven.

Roxas nodded"She apparently said something about not believing in fairies, a fairy is dying because of it. As for the prisoners, Peter Pan and his gang are captured by Hook."

"Blast! Well, let's go after Jane first. Maybe we can save Tinker Bell" said Ventus.

The group followed Jane a way to a tree, which is actually Peter's hideout, rooms were built inside it. As they entered, Ven shrugged"This place brings back memories."

"Where's Tink?" said Sora.

"Over hear" whimpered Jane's voice. The group approached and saw a blond green-clad fairy lying deathly still. Roxas was shocked, he hadn't imagined that fairies can die.

"It's all my fault" whispered Jane. Serenia watched as she held the small fairy and put her back down.

"This is why no one should say they don't believe in fairies out loud I suppose" said Roxas.

"Tink..." Sora trailed off.

Xion looked down for a moment and said"Hold on, we might be able to revive her."

"I'll try, Raise!" Serah's spell glowed above the fairy, but nothing happened.

"I hate to break it, but when someone is dead, even raise spells or phoenix downs can't do anything" sighed Noel.

"Serenia, Tyler, I still believe in fairies. What about you two?" grinned Sora.

The two younger teens nodded. Jane just sat near Tink, crying over her mistake. A minute passed as Tyler and Serenia closed their eyes and chanted'I do believe in fairies.' The rest of the group in the room chimed in, even Jane as a yellowish glow embodied the seemingly dead fairy. Instantly she rose and came alive.

"Long time no see, Tink" grinned Sora.

Tinker Bell smiled at Sora, despite his adult body. Jane was relieved as she saw the fairy"Tink, thanks goodness!"

"If we're done here, let's go kick some pirate butt" grinned Ventus.

"Oh my gosh, I just remembered" said Jane.

Sora turned to the exit of Hangman's Tree"We should take down Hook for good."

Serenia nodded"It's payback time!"

Tinker Bell enthusiastically flew to Sora's side. Jane addressed the brunette Keyblade Master"Will you take me with you? It's my fault Peter got captured."

"All right, but don't give us any trouble" interjected Roxas.

The group traveled southward to Pirate's Cove following Tinker Bell's lead. In the ocean, just off the coast was the pirate ship. Sora addressed his allies"Captain Hook's a major bonehead, but he's still a skilled swordsman. Serenia, Tyler, Ven, you rescue the Lost Boys. I have a feeling that Hook will try to deal with Peter personally, but I can find him while you guys deal with the pirates."

"I may be a helpless girl on my on, but I'm helping you whether you like it or not" piped Jane.

The group approached the boat when they heard Peter's voice address the Lost Boys"Don't let'em see you cry."

"His voice came from the plank" said Jane.

Three Pirate heartless encircled the captain Lost Boys, who were tied up to the mast. Swift as the wind, Ven used tornado to take out the Heartless. Tyler and Serenia rushed over to the mast to free the hostages.

Sora and Jane crept towards the plank, where Hook was taunting Peter as the crusty pirate prepared to toss him off the ship. Sora coolly addressed him"Yo Codfish, remember me?"

Hook turned around and was surprised"Why you impertinent... You!"

"That's right" said Sora, summoning the kingdom Key.

Hook brandished his sword"You a friend of Pan's? Prepare to walk the plank!"

"Not so fast, don't you see? You'll never win, Hook. Not so long as there's faith, trust, and pixie dust" said Jane. Tinker Bell took the cue and sprinkled her pixie dust on Sora and Jane.

Hook thrust at Sora, who dodged and countered with a fire spell. The enraged captain swung his sword wildly, prompting Sora to weave around and avoid Hook's sword.

Jane took the opportunity to free Peter while Sora had Hook distracted. Peter Pan drew his dagger, thanked Jane and hurried over to jab Hook in the back. Annoyed, Hook turned to face Peter and was met with a blizzard spell to the back.

Ventus freed the captives, but not before a wave of fifteen Pirate Heartless appeared. Xion frowned"Hook's vindictiveness must have drawn them here" and cast thunder on two heartless. Ventus joined in with Tornado while Serenia and Tyler helped the Lost Boys safely back onto the island.

Sora dodged Captain Hook's blows as he swung at him and Peter. Peter skillfully blocked the blade with his dagger and sliced at the feather on the captain's hat. When Hook furiously swung at Peter, Sora cast aero on the pirate captain. The spell knocked Hook back, who countered with a thrust. Sora dodged that and struck again with thunder. Peter followed that up with a jab to the evil man.

Roxas and Xion cut down the Pirate Heartless with ease, but a Manikin shortly followed. Roxas was astonished to see it looked like Xion. Xion shrugged"This shouldn't be a problem."

The Xion Manikin was having none of it and transformed. Instantly, it turned into a monster resembling Xion's armored form. The black-haired keybearer winced"This is like when Roxas and I..."

"I hate dwelling on the past" sighed Roxas as the Manikin swung it's sword. Roxas blocked the blow and countered, only to be met with a blow across the chest. Xion healed her boyfriend while Ventus attacked the Manikin with Strike Raid.

Sora and Peter Pan had the upper hand as they double-teamed Captain Hook. The pirate was crafty however as he threw a bomb at them, the two dodged and were barely nicked by the explosion. Hook got back on his feet and lunged, but Sora beamed him with the back of his keyblade and shoved him down hard with Gravity. The impact was so strong that Hook made a hole through the middle of the ship as he fell.

Roxas, Ventus and Xion were holding their own against the Manikin when they felt the tremor. Sora and Peter hurried on over and stabbed the manikin in the back. Sora addressed them"Quick, we have to get off."

The group got off the ship and left. Peter addressed Sora"It's really you Sora? Man, you're sure all grown up."

"Hey, no worries, I'm still the same guy. It's been a long time, Peter" smiled the Key-bearer.

"Hey Peter, it's me, Ventus" smiled the other man.

The group turned to see the ship sinking, though Captain Hook made it back on board somehow. The captain clung to a part of the ship and pitifully cried out.

"You know the rules, Hook. A good captain always goes down with his ship" grinned Peter.

"B-but I don't want to be a good captain!" screamed the man as his ship sank. Roxas shook his head'that pirate is such a child himself.'

As the boat sank, Hook somehow clambered onto a rowboat. Behind him however was an octopus. Sora grinned"Man, I wouldn't want to be him. It's what he gets, though."

Hook frantically sailed away with the octopus in pursuit. Sora addressed Peter"It was nice to see you again, sorry it couldn't be under better circumstances."

"Ah, no sweat. So what are you going to do now?" grinned Peter.

"Wait, look" cried Serenia as a keyhole appeared in the sky. Sora and Roxas recognized it as the same type they saw at La Cite Les Cloches and pointed their keyblades as it.

"What's with the light show?" said one of the Lost Boys in awe.

"You'll see" said Serenia.

The Keyhole shortly vanished, leaving another orange shard in it's wake. Sora recieved the Twilight Shard and said"Yet another shard, at this rate the mystery of the Twilight Crystal might be solved."

"Twilight Crystal? What's that?" frowned Jane.

"An artifact of great power, we don't know exactly what it is either" replied Roxas.

Peter shrugged"So you and your friends are leaving, Sora?"

"Yes, and what about you and Jane?"

"Jane can fly now so I can return her to London. It was nice hanging out with you guy" smiled Peter.

"Well, it's a long way home" said Jane.

Tinker Bell went over to Serenia and conjured up a bright green orb. Sora recognized it as a summon gem"You're helping us again, Tink?"

The fairy nodded.

"Summon gems contain great magic, don't they?" said Serenia.

"Yes, and this gem has a healing power" elaborated Sora.

* * *

><p>unbeknownst to the group, a dark gummi ship-style warship hung above Neverland. Cid Raines stood on the deck'It seems the Keyblade Master has found another shard.'<p>

"If Sanhille's hunch is correct, they'll fall into our trap" said Kadaj.

Raines grimaced"It is a primitive maneuver at best, but our best one nonetheless."

Kadaj grinned"Then I may get even with Cloud the next time we clash."

"Just don't get overzealous, Sanhille gave specific instructions to lay low as we observe their movements" said Raines.

"As if, but you might be correct" a woman in a PSICOM uniform approached.

Raines shrugged"Nabaat, I'm grateful for your help. Yet in our homeworld, we were supposed to be working against each other."

Kadaj turned to go back into the warship's cabin'Soon, Cloud. Soon we'll clash again.'

"My sentiments are no diffrent then yours. Oh, and Raines, don't think I won't turn on you if I must" sneered Nabaat.

Raines was unfazed at the woman's words'I hate watching and taking no action. But it's either this or back to the dead for me. On top of that, I had somehow regained my I'Cie powers, but that has no bearing at present. The fal'Cie are no more, but stilll.'

* * *

><p>Another chapter finally finished. Oh, and if Cid Raines and Nabaat were OOC, sorry. I hadn't played Final Fantasy XIII in a long time.<p>

Feel free to review if you'd like.


	13. Voodoo High Jinx

The next chapter's up and ready. It has spoilers from the movie The Princess and the Frog, I apologize for any OOCness since I had not seen that movie in a while. Despite mostly following the Disney movie's story, I'll probably deviate a little.

Disclaimer: Dissidia: Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy itself were created by Square Enix. Walt Disney created and copyrighted the Disney characters, locations, etc.

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><p>Chapter XII: Voodoo High Jinx<p>

Bidding good-bye to Peter Pan and his gang, Sora's group returned to the Ragnarok II to travel to another world. Serenia glanced at the green orb she held in her hand"So how do Summon Gems work?"

"The Summon Gems usually carry the spiritual form of certain creatures or people, the ones I initially had in my first quest mostly contained the powers of those whose worlds were lost to the darkness. Tink's summon gem has healing magic, I'm sure I already mentioned it" elaborated Sora.

"What's our destination, now?" wondered Tyler.

Sora thought for a moment"Hm, there might be worlds I haven't been to yet. We don't know how many Twilight Shards remain, I'll ask Cid to let me pilot the ship for a bit."

"Then I'll do my best to continue Serenia and Tyler's training" offered Roxas.

Sora smiled as he walked to the bridge"Thanks."

Roxas turned to Serenia and Tyler"Ready to continue training?"

"You bet" replied Serenia.

"Okay" smiled Tyler.

Roxas proceeded to teach the two apprentices some basic keyblade techniques and second-level healing magic, adding a second-level gravity spell to the mix. Tyler paused for a second after casting Aeroa on a small practice box that Roxas had brought his him"What world will we see, next?"

"I don't know, what do you think Master Roxas?" smiled Serenia.

Roxas shrugged"We'll just have to see."

"I hope I wasn't getting in the way too much" sighed the teenage girl.

"Not really" said Roxas.

* * *

><p>Sora worked with Cid to pilot the Ragnarok II farther through the twisted space, the brunette keyblade master shrugged'Guess the realms are merging.'<p>

"Hey, Sora. There's another world coming right up" said Cid.

Sora looked out the window to see a bluish world with a green landmass. A smaller landmass was on the blue, which seemed typical for a world. Tifa came onto the bridge"How are things?"

"Can't say I've explored this world before. Let's let the others know" said Sora.

The brunettes went back into the main hull, where Roxas was finishing teaching the two apprentices. Xion, who was watching, addressed Sora"Did we find another world, yet?"

"Yeah, looks like mostly water and a town in the middle" replied Sora.

"Interesting" breathed Serenia.

Roxas thought for a moment"So should we send this time?"

Sora grinned"I'll bring Serenia and Tyler along. Noel, Serah, up for another adventure?"

"Why not?" responded Noel with a smile.

"Let's go" smiled Serah.

Roxas shrugged"Here we go again, hopefully nothing bad will happen this time."

The group of six teleported down to find themselves in the middle of a swampland. Serenia grimaced as she gazed at the water and the forest"This place gives me the creeps."

"Just stay close to me" reassured Sora.

Tyler glanced at the watery landscape"Think we can swim, here?"

"Go ahead if you want to get dirty" retorted Serenia, making a face.

The group looked around, walking across the dry areas as best they could. Along the way, Serenia thought she saw two frogs talking from behind the bushes. One of them was male"They look friendly enough."

"Maybe, but I don't think we should go near. Think about it! People would freak if they hear frogs talking!" sighed his female counterpart, exasperated.

Serenia curiously approached the bushes from where she heard the voices"Hello? Is someone here?"

A male frog hopped out from behind. The frog spoke"May I have the pleasure of knowing your name?"

Serenia freaked, causing her companions and father to run to her location. The female frog hopped out and said"Naveen, I told you!"

"You two don't have to be scared, I'm Sora. This is Serenia" smiled the brunette Keybearer.

The female frog smiled curteously"I'm Tiana, that guy over here is Prince Naveen."

"Oh, forgive me for not noticing" said Serenia, bowing before the male frog. She had read the story of the Frog Prince before, so she could not help but believe the female frog's claim.

"Hey, no need to do that. I'm a nice guy" grinned the male frog.

Sora was astonished"How can you two talk?"

"He's been messin' around with the shadow man" sighed Tiana.

"He was very charismatic" shrugged Naveen.

Serenia was astonished"You mean-?"

Naveen shrugged"Yeah, I went to his place with my Valet, Lawrence. During a seemingly harmless fortune-telling session, I got turned into a frog. I tried asking Tiana, who was dressed as a princess, to kiss me to turn me back."

"I see" said Sora.

"I happen to be a princess, but I'm not old enough for that kind of thing" said Serenia.

Tiana nodded in agreement"We'll just keep looking around and get me and Naveen out of this mess he got us in."

"Can we go with you?" asked Sora.

"Sure" grinned Naveen.

Tiana nodded"The more the merrier."

The group headed deeper into the swamp, Tiana explained as Sora asked where they were. Serah was astonished"So this is a bayou, and there's a city west of here called New Orléans?"

"Yep" grinned Naveen, who was strumming on a makeshift guitar on a makeshift raft that he and Tiana set up so they could cruise through the bayou for answers. Serah and Noel were not quite sure what to think of their new friends.

"Voodoo sounds like some serious stuff, who's to say it's not dark magic?" inquired Noel.

Serah shrugged"It must be powerful if it can turn people into animals."

The group continued on until a big green crocodile rose up from the water behind Naveen and Tiana's boat while the male frog was strumming. Serenia hid behind her father"What's up with that?"

The alligator seemed to talk to the frogs from what Sora could tell, though he didn't know what he was saying. Activating the special power in his clothes, he turned himself into a frog and went up to them"What's up?"

"Sora, what happened?" gasped Tiana.

Sora grinned"I have these special magic clothes that let me turn into animals or some other form if needed. It's kinda cool if you get used to it."

"Whoa, awesome, I wish I could do that" said the crocodile.

"What do you mean?" said Sora.

The Crocodile grinned"I love Jazz music, I long to head over to town and play along with the big boys"

"Why don't you?" asked Naveen.

"Tried that once, but didn't go well. I'm Louis" said the alligator.

Serenia addressed Sora"Can I transform, too?"

"We'll work on that later" replied Sora.

Tiana sighed"Well anyway, we can't mess around here. Naveen here got himself cursed by a voodoo witch doctor, now we're trying to find a way to become human again."

"Voodoo!? You mean like the kind that Mama Odie do?" asked Louis, surprised.

"Mama... Who?" Sora was confused.

Louis elaborated"She's the Voodoo Queen of the bayou. She has potions, spells and all kinds of hoodoo."

"Can you take us to her?" asked Tiana and Naveen at the same time.

The alligator's eyes widened"Past sharp thorns and hunters with guns!? No."

Sora shrugged"Guess we'll have to do this ourselves."

Naveen walked closer to the crocodile and said"It's too bad we can't help with your dream, Louis. If only you were smaller, less toothy, you could play music around adoring crowds without scaring them."

Tiana rolled her eyes"Cute, but that's not going to-"

"Hey! I just had an idea, what if I asked Mama Odie to turn me human?" burst Louis.

Naveen grinned"Welcome aboard."

The group and their new companion traveled farther along the bayou, taking in the sights as they went. Serenia talked with Tiana"So you're a waitress?"

"Yes, my dream is to have my very own restaurant. That was before Naveen got us into this mess" grumbled the female frog.

"As for me, I'd party every night like I used to" smiled Naveen.

"You are getting married" reminded Tiana.

Serenia could not help but feel like a romantic"He is? To who?"

Naveen grinned"When I am back in human form, I'm marrying Charlotte La'bouff."

"Sounds like you're in love with someone" smiled Serenia.

Naveen shrugged"Nah, it's mostly because I'm completely broke. My parents are fabulously wealthy, but they cut me off one day for being irresponsible and stuff along the lines."

"Some prince you are" jabbed Tyler.

"Tyler, that's not a nice thing to say" chided Serenia.

"It's all right" grinned the male frog.

The group moved on until they ran into what looked like a group of Shadow and Soldier Heartless. Tiana shrieked at the sight. Naveen's eyeballs widened"What are those things?"

"Your highness, Tiana, Louis, stay back. We'll handle this" said Sora, turning back into a human.

"Finally some action" said Noel, hacking down a soldier heartless with his blade. Another countered the attack with a cyclone spin, only to be knocked down by Sora's keyblade.

Serenia hacked at three Shadow Heartless that attempted to attack her while Tyler cast spells at the Soldier Heartless, Serah backed up her allies by firing arrows at the Heartless.

No sooner had the monsters went down, Serenia breathed"This 'shadow man' guy must be bad news."

"Somehow, I don't think that was him. Besides, we shouldn't interfere too much if we can avoid it. Let's keep going" replied Sora.

The group pressed on before what looked like a shiny ball of yellow light appeared. Sora transformed again to see a Cajun Firefly, Serenia was amazed"It's beautiful."

The firefly grinned"Hey, I'm Raymond. My friends call me Ray."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Sora" said the Keybearer.

"I am Prince Naveen. Sora, Louis and Tiana are my companions" said the male frog.

"Nice to meet you. So where are you all headed?" asked the firefly.

Sora glanced down the bayou before replying"Louis the alligator has been leading us to someone called Odie, Tiana and Naveen need to become human again. Unlike them, I have a special power that lets me assume animal form and return to normal at will."

"Seriously? Well, you're obviously going the wrong way. Number one rule of the bayou is never take directions from a gator" said Ray.

Louis was shocked"I was confused by the topography er..."

Tiana sighed and shook her head, their alligator friend was leading them the wrong way.

"Ray, can you lead us to the Voodoo Queen?" asked Sora.

Ray smiled"Certainly Amigos, just follow me."

Sora and his friends continued on, taking in the sights. Serenia frowned slightly"This place is kind of dirty, how can someone be living here?"

"Huh? Master Sora, I think there's something moving behind that bush over there" said Tyler, startled by a nearby sound of a twig cracking.

Sora changed back"You're right, but what?"

What sounded like a gunblade echoed through the swamp as several manikins appeared. Accompanying them were some unknown shadow demons. Serah frowned"Lightning never told me that Manikins can imitate her shape."

"They're nothing compared to the real thing unless in big numbers, but why are they here?" said Sora.

Tiana, Naveen, and Raymnod kept their distance, Louis had jumped into a nearby bush in fright. Sora was astonished to see one of the shadow demons dart toward Naveen to try to capture him. Noel slashed at it, only for the blow to go through"Blast, those are probably phantoms. They don't exist in Serah's, Lightning's and my world."

"Fire!" Serenia blasted on Phantom with a spell while Noel, Serah and Tyler confronted the Manikins.

"It's no good!" cried Serah, seeing the phantoms surround them while shooting down a Manikin.

"We can't give up" said Noel, engaging Lightning's Manikin in a swordfight. Noel struggled to keep up as the Manikin evaded and shot bullets from its illusionary gunblade. Noel dodged each shot before retaliating with a slash.

Sora blasted the shadow phantoms with Fire while fighting a Cloud Manikin. Serenia and Tyler duked it out with a Tifa Manikin before smashing it with their Keyblades.

The Lightning Manikin launch Lightning Strike at Neol. Serah healed her friend with cure before shooting the monster down"The Manikins just can't come up with their own shapes, can they?"

Sora dodged an Omnislash from the Cloud Manikin and countered with Ragnarok. The combo destroyed the Manikin. The phantoms however were agile and weren't distracted from their target for long.

"Blast!" Noel smashed a Manikin and turned to see Naveen accosted by one of the phantoms. As the phantoms were about to kidnap the frog prince, a fireball chased them away while Sora's team handled the Manikins.

"Who did that?" freaked Serenia.

An old woman carrying a torch and clad in white approached from beyond the bayou's depths, Sora kept his normal form and spoke"Who are you?"

"Call me Odie, young man. I have seen you all coming, come on over to my place" grinned the woman.

The group followed the old woman to what looked like an old boathouse. Naveen and Tiana were astonished. Tyler and Noel bit back a remark as they followed Odie inside.

"So what brings you all here?" inquired the old woman as they entered the main room which had potions and a crystal ball.

"Tiana and I wish to be human again, Louis also wants to be 'human.' I'm Prince Naveen" said the male frog.

Odie pondered for a second before answering to their requests"So you want to be human, but do you have what you need?"

"What do you mean by that?" said Noel.

"Please excuse him, he's Noel. I'm Serah" said the pink haired girl.

"I'm Sora, and that's Tyler and Serenia" said the younger brunette.

Odie addressed Sora"Ah, you are the Keybearer, aren't you? What is it you seek?"

"How would you know what we're after? I'm going after the Twilight Crystal, which is also called the Stone of Secrets" replied Sora.

Odie grinned"Hm, such trifles are easily done with. But do you have what you need? You need to know what you need before you can get what you want. I, Mama Odie, am a Voodoo Priestess. Part of what you seek may be found in this world. Unfortunately, my powers have no bearing in this matter. As for you, Naveen, all you need do is kiss a true princess."

"We know how to undo their curse, and I'm too young for that" sighed Serenia.

"One must not meddle in the affairs of other worlds, that is for sure. The nearest princess in question is La'Bouff's daughter, but only during the Mardi Grass in which her father is king of the festival" said Odie.

"The Mardi Grass ends at midnight" gasped Tiana.

Sora shrugged"Not a problem for me. I can get us to the town with my Gummi Ship."

"I dunno Sora, someone may freak if they see talking frogs or a trumpet-playing gator" frowned Serah.

"We'll take the long way, then" piped Noel.

Sora group bade farewell to Mama Odie and went the other way back through the bayou. It was getting close to nightfall when they stopped at a dry spot near the watery bayou.

"Best make camp here" remarked Neol.

"It's not so bad when you get used to it. Hm, what should we do about dinner?" wondered Serenia.

Tiana hopped over to a nearby mushroom and addressed her friends"How about some swamp Gumbo?"

Sora was astonished"What's it like?"

The female frog replied"I don't really know, I have to kind of work with what I have on hand."

"Sora, did we bring and food with us?" asked Tyler.

"I have some fruit, but it's more of a snack" flushed the brunette Keybearer.

"Ah, well. It sounds good, I'll just have something to nibble on while I wait" said Naveen, laying back.

"Oh, no, you are going to mince this mushroom your highness. Hop to it" said Tiana, giving the male frog part of the mushroom to work with before looking around to get find stuff for her makeshift dish.

"What can we do to help?" said Noel.

"You can just wait, cooking doesn't really take more than two people to do" said Tiana.

Sora stood back while Naveen used a makeshift knife to cut the mushroom into slices, the prince struggled with it a little. While working on a brough for her gumbo, Tiana headed back towards the frog prince when she noticed he was having trouble and said"Here, watch and learn."

The prince watched as the female frog expertly sliced part of the mushroom into bits and left him to do the rest. Naveen remarked as he worked"You know, at the palace, everything is done for you all the time."

Sora raised an eyebrow"Really? I imagine even kings and princes have to do their share."

"I really enjoyed it, didn't have to do much. It was only when my parents cut me off that I realized I don't know how to do anything" sighed the male frog.

Seeing her companion in a new light, Tiana smiled"You know, you're really doing a good job at mincing. Keep this up and I might hire you."

"Really?" grinned Naveen.

"No" replied the female frog.

"Whoa, come on! That was way below the frog belt!" griped the prince.

* * *

><p>At Radiant Garden, Kairi glanced at the sky worriedly. Seeing this, Yuffie walked into the princess of heart's room while checking on things in the castle and said"What's up? Why the long face?"<p>

"Nothing, really. You wouldn't know if Sora will be okay, would you?" sighed the red-head.

"Aw, don't sweat it. I'm sorry he's fine, nothing gets me down. As for Leon, Rinoa and Aerith, they've been super busy. Come to think of it, I haven't seen Cloud or Tifa for a while" said the ninja.

"You're right, I've just been worried. Yuffie, think we can check the library and the computer for information or something that might help Sora with his quest?" inquired the queen.

Yuffie grinned"Why not? I was getting bored, can't say there's much we can uncover much info. But you can count on me, I am the great ninja Yuffie after all."

Kairi smiled"Okay, let's get started tomorrow."

* * *

><p>The following day found Sora and his group on a boat to New Orléans. They had eaten a small dinner of gumbo that night and were well on their way to find Tiana's friend Charlotte.<p>

"The town's really beautiful" breathed Serenia from the boat.

"I agree" said Serah.

Sora silently stood at the front of the ship, watching. Seeing this, Noel addressed to the brunette Keyblade Master"Something wrong?"

Sora was silent for a bit longer before responding"Huh? Oh, sorry, I spaced out a little. I have no doubt that the town feels peaceful, but I felt a dark aura from somewhere. Maybe it was just my imagination."

"Could it be the shadow man who Tiana mentioned?" asked Tyler.

"Not necessarily, but something feels a bit off" sighed Sora.

The group docked and left the boat, Sora turned to address his allies"We should split up to look for Tiana's friend, what does she look like?"

"She has blond hair and blue eyes" said the female frog.

Sora nodded"Okay, I think we know what to do. But let's try to act inconspicuous, we can't attract too much attention."

Serenia nodded"So what will we do?"

"Best thing I can think of is to split up. Serah, Noel, Serenia, you're with me. Tyler, will you be okay going with Tiana, Ray, Louis and Naveen?" asked the brunette hero.

"No problem, Sora" said the teenage boy.

Neol squared his shoulders"Let's check the town."

"You going after the Shadow Man, Sora?" piped Tiana.

"Yeah, I gotta learn more about this situation. Besides, something tells me we haven't seen the last of those shadow phantoms" said the brunette.

Louis, Ray, Tyler and Naveen had already gone into the town. Tiana was about to follow when she addressed Sora again"Good luck."

Sora nodded and began to lead his group into New Orléans. The day just wore on during the search as they checked out the various shops, Serah breathed"Pretty lively, here."

"You can say that" agreed Noel.

"Still haven't found any sign of the source of darkness, maybe it was my imagination" said Sora with a shrug.

"Dad! Serah! Noel!" cired Serenia, spotting some Dark Ball Heartless.

Sora readied himself"It figures we'd run into Heartless on our way here." Serah shot one heartless while Noel engaged another with his blade. Sora struck one Darkball down with Strike Raid.

"Fire! Thunder!" Serenia's spells staggered another heartless enough for Noel to wipe it out.

Sora breathed as they defeated the Heartless"There is darkness in someone's heart, that's for sure. Same goes for all hearts of course, but the Heartless seem to have been drawn here."

"Hope Tyler's okay" whimpered Serenia.

The group explored well into the night and were considering returning to the ship to rest when Serenia spotted one of the shadow phantoms"Eeek!"

"Huh?" Sora spotted it near a cemetary.

"Looks like trouble" Neol rushed in. The rest of the group followed to find Tiana wandering around, in her hand was a talisman shaped like a skull.

"What's happening?" chirped Serenia.

Before anyone could respond, a man in black with a top hat and a dark complexion emerged from the shadows and blew an illusionary powder at the group. Instantly, they found themselves standing in an illusionary restaurant.

"What just happened?" frowned Sora.

"Beats me" whispered Serah.

Tiana looked around, her frog body replaced by that of a young woman with the same complexion as the man they just saw. Serenia sighed"Do you think this spell reveals the future?"

"En contraire, but close enough" said a man's voice as the dark-clad man approached them.

Sora glanced at him"Who are you?"

The man grinned darkly"Facilier at your service. Ah, and Tiana is it?"

"How did-?" The young woman was flustered.

Facilier stepped closer to her"I can read your futures, yours especially. You have a little dream of opening a fine restaurant, despite being poor as you are. Your daddy worked so hard to achieve his dream, but wound with nothing less then a gumbo pot."

"Okay, you're freaking me out" said Serenia.

Facilier ignored the rest of Sora's group as he spoke to Tiana"I can help you, all you need to do is hand over that talisman of mine."

Tiana stood for a moment, Sora frowned"Tiana, I don't think you should listen."

Tiana was silent for a bit longer"Dad never did get what he want." Turning to Facilier, she responded"But he never lost sight of what's important, neither will I!"

The young woman attempted to smash the Talisman by throwing it onto the ground, only for Facilier's shadow to grab it, and the illusion vanished. Tiana was now back in her cursed form.

"Fire!" Serenia attempted to blast the man, only for the shadow to block after returning the talisman to its master.

Smirking evilly at Tiana, Facilier spoke"You should have taken my deal, now you'll spend the rest of your life as a slimy little frog."

"I have news for you, Shadow Man. It is not slime, its mucus!" Tiana aimed her frog tongue at the talisman, snatching it away from Facilier. She took the item into her hands and smashed it to the ground.

"You fumbled, Facilier!" remarked Sora, triumphantly.

The sound of voodoo drums was suddenly heard. Hearing this, Tyler rushed onto the scene"Sora! Did I miss something?"

"You might want to get out-of-the-way, Tyler" whispered Serenia.

Tyler paled as he saw ghost-like creatures appear and ran to Sora's side. Serenia frowned"There must be different laws for spirits in each world, I've read about them."

An eerie song echoed directly at Facilier"_Are you ready_?"

"Friends! Wait, I'm not ready. I need more time" Facilier pleaded with the spirits that appeared before the group.

"_Are you ready_?" echoed the spirits, Sora could tell from their aura that their wrath is directed at the Voodoo witch doctor.

"So that guy drew the Heartless to this world" remarked Noel.

Sora nodded"We'll let the spirits finish him."

"I don't think that's a good idea now" said Tiana, who had hidden behind a gravestone.

Before Sora's eyes, a demon gate appeared behind Facilier as the angered spirits began dragging him backwards. Serenia paled and hid behind Sora"That looks scary."

Facilier looked pathetic as he was dragged into the gate"Wait, please. I promise I'll pay you all somehow!"

"Must have owed the spirits a debt. It's a high-risk operation messing with the dead" remarked Serah.

Facilier was thrown into a greenish opening of the gate which closed with a flash, disappearing with the rest of the Voodoo Spirits and the Phantom Shadows. When the flash dissipated, all that was left was a gravestone with Facilier's face etched on it.

Tiana came out of her hiding place and glanced up at the clock tower to find it was nearly midnight. Sora addressed her"Something wrong?"

"I have to go find Naveen" said Tiana, hopping away.

Neol glanced at the grave"Looks like it was too easy."

"You call that easy? Ha, ha, ha, ha" cackled a voice as a familiar blond man with colorful clothes appeared.

"That laugh, Kefka?" asked Sora, astonished.

"You know this weirdo?" inquired Noel.

Kefka smirked"So you recognize me. You may have won the last war, but this time Discord shall destroy all! Take a look behind you: If you think that's something that can be stopped, try and stop it I dare you! And don't you forget, fallen warriors on Chaos and Cosmos's sides can be revived as long as they aren't killed by a Manikin."

"Huh?" Sora glanced at the gravestone which began to rise and transform. The stone transformed into what looked like a Manikin with a top hat and dark clothes.

"Ah, man. Does that mean Chaos is alive?" groaned the brunette keyblade master.

Kefka cackled as he vanished"It is not Chaos, but the cursed power of the Twilight Crystal and that silly Sanhille that revived most of Discord's finest. Chaos as you call him I presume has been permanently warped into feral form. The worlds are in for a unpleasant nightmare."

Sora glanced at the Manikin, it looked much like Facilier. Serenia frowned"I guess he's been turned into a heartless, even though his spirit and body got dragged into the afterlife."

The Manikin flashed a bolt of green lightning from its eyes. Sora deflected the blow with his keyblade, only for the monster to zap him with a green fireball. On cue, several Voodoo spirits appeared and began playing an eerie melody.

"Huh? My body's getting heavy" moaned Serenia.

Sora struggled"I can barely stay awake, but we have to defeat that Manikin."

"Fire!" Tyler cast a spell at the Manikin. The monster staggered and retaliated with a hypnotizing flash of light, putting Tyler into a sleep state. Serah fired an arrow at one of the Voodoo spirits, only for the arrow to go through.

Noel angrily charged at the Manikin, only for a spirit to attack him with Sleep.

Sora braced himself and launched Thundara at his enemies. The attack barely dented the Manikin as it's puppets were eliminated, the creature threw a blast of green lightning at Sora again. The brunette master deflected the blow and countered with Strike Raid. The Manikin shot forth a bolt of lightning in retaliation.

"Esuna!" A white magic spell reversed the slow and sleep status ailments on the group as the spell's caster spoke"You can move faster, now."

"Nice one, Refia. Let's put those voodoo jokers back where they belong" said a young man's voice.

"Luneth? Arc? Refia? Ingus? What are you all doing here?" asked Sora, amazed.

"We're here to save your bacon" said Luneth, heading over to the fray.

"Cosmos must have known we were headed for trouble" said Sora.

Luneth beamed as he shot Firaga at the monsters"You bet, Cosmos sensed that Chaos's goons were showing signs of activity again. On top of that, they got new henchmen among their ranks."

The monster was slightly melted from the fire attack, Sora readied his weapon"Just the way I want you" and sent his keyblade charging into the monstrosity with a Strike Raid. The stone monster shattered into bits, and the spirits inside vanished.

"Yeah, that did it" smiled Serenia.

Sora turned to address Luneth"How did you get here?"

"We have a gummi ship of our own, now. We call it the Pride of Sasune" beamed Ingus.

"Sora, should we check on Tiana?" asked Serenia.

"Yeah, let's go" replied the brunette keyblade master.

The group went to the town and found Naveen, Tiana and Louis. Ray laid dead on the ground. Sora was astonished"What happened to him?"

Tiana sighed"The Shadow Man killed Ray. Naveen and I are staying frogs, let's go back to the bayou."

"What about your friend?" asked Sora.

Tiana sighed"We were too late, midnight had passed before Charlotte could break the spell."

the group and their new companions returned to the bayou, put Ray's body to rest. Tiana glanced at the sky"Look."

"Huh?" Sora saw a star appear next to a bigger one.

"He's with Evangeline" whispered Tiana.

* * *

><p>Later the next day, Sora and the others stood in the bayou with several critters and Louis. Naveen and Tiana stood side-by-side in front of the Voodoo Priestess as she presided over their wedding.<p>

"So romantic" whispered Serenia.

"Yeah" smiled Noel.

At the ceremony's end, Odie addressed Naveen and Tiana"Thus I pronounce you frog and wife."

Sora smiled at the sight as the two frogs kissed, a magic glow enveloped their bodies. Moments passed as the two frogs were replaced by Tiana in her human form, and Naveen. The prince is now a young man with dark hair.

"Heh, I told you. Kissing a princess breaks the spell" grinned the Voodoo Priestess.

Naveen pleasantly surprised as he addressed Tiana"I get it, once you became my wife, that made you-"

"A Princess, you just kissed yourself a princess" smiled Tiana.

"And I'll do it again" grinned the prince.

Refia leaned on Luneth's shoulder"Remember when we wed?"

"Yeah" nodded the man other.

Sora addressed Tiana and Naveen"Congratulations, you two."

Tiana flushed"Thanks, Sora. So now what will you do? Naveen and I are thinking we should go back to New Orléans for a proper wedding as humans."

"We'll be leaving, now. But see maybe we'll come back to see you, sometime" grinned Sora.

Naveen grinned"Hey, it's no skin off my bones. It was nice traveling together."

"Hope your dream comes true, Tiana" spoke Serenia.

"They already have, in a way. Love is the most important thing, after all" said the new princess.

Sora nodded"Good-bye."

Louis stood with Naveen and Tiana to say good-bye to Sora and his friends. As they spoke, an orange keyhole appeared in the sky. Seeing this as their cue, Sora and Serenia used their keyblades to seal it, and a twilight shard popped out.

"I don't understand, why is the crystal in shards anyway?" wondered Tyler.

"I think we'll find out" whispered Serenia.

* * *

><p>Man, that took a very long time. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Some of the stuff I made up, but I had to come up with original ideas. Oh, and I did deliberately skip the part with the hunters. It was only a minor part if you ask me.<p>

Please feel free to review. I think I'll do a Final Fantasy chapter next.


	14. Alexandria

Another day another chapter. Remember, Kingdom Hearts and Dissidia Final Fantasy were created by Squaresoft. Disney characters, locations, etc. are Walt Disney's creations.

The next three or four chapters will definitely involve a Final Fantasy World. Oh, and in case anyone hasn't played Final Fantasy IX, Garnet and Dagger are the same character.

* * *

><p>Chapter XIII: Alexandria<p>

Sora and his group went back to the bridge of their ship to speak with Cid and the rest. Tifa was glancing at the navigation screen before she turned to address them"How did it go?"

"Aside from dealing with voodoo magic, we found another shard. This mystery is kind of getting to me, but no sweat" replied Sora.

Xion thought for a moment before speaking"Hm, where do you think we should go next?"

Roxas studied the navigation screen"The map on this thing is going a bit haywire, but I think I sense another unknown world not too far from this one. Why not go there?"

"Can't hurt" chimed Tifa.

"If the radar really goes haywire, I'll have to turn us around" grunted Cid.

Sora shrugged"Let's just go check it out."

They flew the Ragnarok II away from Tiana's world until they came upon another greenish landscape with some mist surrounding the planet itself. Serenia frowned"What's with all the fog?"

"I don't know" muttered Roxas.

"A misty planet, hm. Zidane told me about this, once" mussed Tifa.

Serenia glanced at the world in wonder"It looks beautiful. I wonder what its like."

"We'll find out, shortly" replied Noel.

Sora addressed Cloud and Tifa"You want to come with us this time?"

"I suppose" shrugged the spikey-haired blond.

Tifa smiled"It would be nice to see Zidane and Queen Garnet, again."

Sora grinned"Okay, Serenia can come along as well. Tyler, will you be okay staying with Roxas this time?"

"I guess" said the blue-haired apprentice.

"We'll be back" smiled Serenia.

Sora went with his group to the teleporter. Serenia asked her father"Um, what is Queen Garnet like?"

"She's a good person, not to mention prettier than her mother from what I heard from Zidane. I'm pretty sure there's nothing to worry about in this world" grinned Sora.

"Blind optimism can be a problem" remarked Cloud.

"Good thing Kairi's not here to take it the wrong way" muttered Roxas.

Sora, Serenia, Cloud and Tifa teleported down from the gummi ship and landed a few feet away from a majestic castle town. Tifa glanced at the surrounding fields"It sure is pretty down here."

"you bet" grinned Serenia.

"Let's check out the town over there" suggested Sora.

The four entered the gates of the castle town, stopping at a stone statue near it's entrance. Serenia glanced in wonder at it"I wonder what this is a statue of. Radiant Garden dosen't have any of those."

"Every town is different, and I don't know what this statue is" responded Sora, heading towards the inner city. Serenia, Cloud and Tifa followed.

The main town was mostly linear as the group proceeded down the cobblestone streets. The group surveyed the area, which even featured a couple of side passageways.

"Hm, call it a hunch, but is this Zidane's homeworld?" piped the brunette Martial Artist.

"You think? Yeah, it's possible. I haven't explored this world before, though" shrugged Sora.

"Who's Zidane?" wondered Serenia.

Cloud responded, looking down at her"He's a Master Thief and a bit of a skirt chaser. Or at least that's what he was, according to Bartz. His wife is Queen Garnet Alexandros."

"Amazing" breathed Serenia.

The group entered the main square of Alexandria where Serenia saw a blond man in a vest, pants, gloves and a furry tail going into the nearest item shop. Tifa stopped"That's him, right?"

"Looks like it" replied Cloud.

Serenia walked to the item shop and entered. Cloud, Tifa and Sora followed. The blond was purchasing some potions and other supplies when he turned to see Sora and the others"Oh, hey. Long time no see."

"It's been a long time, Zidane" acknowledged Cloud.

"Heh, same to all of you. Tifa, you're still beautiful as always. I was just shopping for stuff for my family, Dagger and I married a few years ago" grinned the former thief.

"Don't let Garnet hear you say that. So what else is new?" inquired the Martial Artist.

Zidane smiled"Nothing much, everything's been nice and quiet these days, but I'm not too bummed out. Oh, and is this little girl your daughter, Sora?"

"Yeah, her name is Serenia. How did you know?" said Sora.

"Call it a hunch, Kairi is just as beautiful as always, isn't she?" grinned Zidane.

"Um, yeah, I do look a bit like my mom, but I have my dad's eyes. I've seen other worlds with my dad. He may be as great as he was back then, but my dad isn't exactly a spring chicken, but he and mom are still doing okay" flushed Serenia.

"Hey, what do you mean by that?" sighed Sora.

"Ha, ha, just kidding" smiled Serenia.

Zidane proceeded to leave the shop"Well, I gotta get going. I got a date with Dagger, so I can't be late or she'll get so mad. You guys want to come to the castle to visit?"

"Sure" said the young teen.

"We'll take you up on your offer" responded Sora.

Zidane grinned"Okay, let's go."

The group followed Zidane to the gate, north of town. Upon reaching a lake, Serenia addressed the blond thief"Where does the queen live?"

"Across the moat is Alexandria Castle. There is a boat ahead" replied Zidane, leading them.

The boat was medium-sized, the ferryman running it greeted Zidane"Are you returning to the castle? Oh, and who's with you, sire?"

"I don't really care to be addressed by my title. These are my companions" replied the former thief, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, okay" shrugged the man, ferrying them to the other side of the moat.

Serenia addressed Zidane"Are you a king? It's just that, the ferryman called you sire."

The tailed blond shook his head"Not exactly, more like Prince Consort. Sure, 'king' came with the package when I married Dagger, but I like to be seen as who I am. Titles are meaningless in my book, just call me Zidane. I'd prefer it if you didn't call me 'mister', either. I'm not really that old."

"True, formalities aren't always necessary" frowned Serenia.

As the boat arrived and the group disembarked, Serenia and Tifa glanced in wonder at the castle grounds. Cloud shrugged"Somehow I am not surprised."

"Yeah" whispered Serenia, glancing at the castle for a bit longer.

"The foyer is ahead" explained Zidane, heading to the castle entrance.

"Hey!" a voice called as a young thorteem year-old with dark brown hair came into view, he had blue eyes and wore a tunic with pants and a cape.

"Lance, how are you?" greeted Zidane.

Lance smiled"Never better, dad. Studies are kinda boring at times, though."

Zidane shrugged"Well, you gotta tough it out if you want to be like your mom, right?"

"You're right, it's just that Mia isn't making it any better for me" shrugged the younger man.

Serenia stepped forward"Um, hi, I'm Serenia."

Lance glanced at her"Hm? Oh, hey, I'm Lance. I'm the Crown Prince of Alexandria."

"Who's Mia?" asked Tifa.

"She's Rusty and Beatrix's daughter, she and Lance kind of have a friendly rivalry going on" smiled Zidane.

Lance flushed"Uh, anyway, you guys want to see my mom?"

"Of course" nodded Tifa before anyone else can say anything.

Zidane grinned"Well, right this way" and led them to the throne room. Serenia could not help but admire the interior of the castle.

Lance noticed and address the female teen"Enjoying the sights?"

Serenia flushed"Yeah, it reminds me of home in Radiant Garden's castle."

"Radiant Garden... Where's that?" wondered Lance.

"It's pretty far away from here" shrugged Serenia.

The group went up the stairs and towards the throne room. Standing outside the door was an armored man and a white-clad woman, Zidane addressed them"Yo Rusty."

"What is it? And who are these people?" grunted the man.

The brunette keyblade master responded"I'm Sora."

"I'm Serenia, sir" piped the girl.

Zidane interjected"They are here to see Dagger."

"Her majesty is very busy" said the man, curtly.

"That's enough, Adelbert. Go ahead, everyone" said the woman.

"Very well" said the man.

Zidane led the group inside the throne room, a woman with black hair and a greenish dress sat on her throne inside the throne room. The blond Genome addressed her"Yo, Dagger."

"Zidane, how are things in the city?" inquired the brunette queen.

"Everything is just dandy. Sora, Cloud, Tifa and Serenia here are visiting" smiled the blond.

The queen stood up"I see, well it's nice to see you all. Which one of you is Serenia?"

"I am, ma'am" replied the teenage red-head.

The queen smiled"Is this your first time in Alexandria, everyone? To those of you who are unaware of who I am, my name is Garnet Til Alexandros, Queen of Alexandria. Dagger is my civilian name."

"You mean like an alias? Cool" smiled Serenia.

Sora approached the queen"I think we met for a short time during the war with Chaos's goons. But there is a different threat out there that I am trying to deal with outside your world."

"What is it?" frowned Dagger, concerned.

"Have you heard of a man called Yoran Sanhille? We believe he is behind a powerful spell called the Twilight Eclipse, sounds unbelievable, doesn't it?"

"It does sound hard to believe, but stranger things have happened before. I've never heard of Yoran, though" said Dagger.

"My father's and my conclusion is that he might be a lingering will. What's more, Chaos's warriors are active again" explained Serenia.

"My father told me about the friends he had made during the War of the Gods, he's been involved in the twelfth and thirteenth cycles" frowned Lance.

Zidane was uncharacteristically quiet at the mention of Chaos' warriors. Dagger took notice of it"Is something wrong?"

"It just sounds absurd, but can't be impossible, either. Sora, you're looking for this 'Yoran' guy, right? I think I might want in on the action" grinned Zidane.

"Do you know what you're saying? Aren't you a king, now?" gasped Tifa.

The Genome shrugged"Well, it's better than doing nothing about it. If Chaos's warriors are active again, I am going with you to help kick some butt."

"We're also after Twilight Shards, which are supposedly fragments of the Twilight Crystal" elaborated Tifa.

"Can't help you there, but you and the rest of Cosmos's warriors might need me anyway. I can't just abandon my friends, no matter what" said the Genome.

Sora smiled"We'd be happy to have your help, Zidane. Oh, and have you seen Lightning? She said she'd help alert the rest of Cosmos's warriors."

"Light? Can't say I've seen her since the fourteenth war with Chaos. But let's not get too bummed out about all this" grinned Zidane.

Dagger stepped closer"I should like to help, too. If Alexandria is in danger, I cannot stand by."

"I would go along as well" piped Lance.

"Absolutely not, it would be far too dangerous" sighed Garnet.

"Your mom's right, Lance. Besides, who would protect Mia and everyone else?" piped the Genome.

Lance sighed"I know, I just can't stand by and let both my parents risk everything while I stay behind."

Garnet smiled"It will be okay. I just don't think I can take it if the worlds are in trouble and Zidane is fighting without me. But anyway, would you like to stay for dinner?"

"Not interested" muttered Cloud.

"Oh, come on, Cloud" chimed Tifa.

"Serenia and I will take you up on your offer if she's okay with it" said Sora.

"I'd love to" piped Serenia.

* * *

><p>Outside Alexandria, Kuja smirked as he had spied on Sora's group entering the castle town. Kefka and the Cloud of Darkness lurked near him. The white-haired Genome smirked"All is according to plan?"<p>

"We should crush them, now. We KNOW they have some of the Twilight Shards" cackled Kefka.

"Something more preliminary, I already made arrangements with Lumaria and Arlene to strike at the kingdom. Another shard might just be hidden, and we have a window of opportunity to snatch it from Sora's nose" grimaced Kuja.

"When shall we commence on this plan?" prompted the Cloud of Darkness.

Kuja smirked evily"Nightfall should do, my brother won't know what hit him or his friends and family. The curtain draws to this prelude to eternal twilight."

"Perfect, we will engulf everything in our shadow" sneered the entity in her usual third-person dialect.

* * *

><p>The evening proved pleasant enough for Sora and his group as they enjoyed dinnertime with their allies. They had roasted chicken with some salad on the side. Sora addressed Zidane"How's Bartz doing?"<p>

"He's doin' dandy, we still treasure hunt sometimes" replied the Genome with a smile.

Just as the group finished their dinner and were making small talk, one of the Knights of Pluto ran into the dining room"Your majesty!"

"What is it, Blutzen?" demanded the Knight Captain.

The knight's face was ghostly white as he reported"Someone has just unleashed strange humanoid creatures into the city. I got away from one, but not before overhearing a strange voice."

"Strange humanoids... Manikins again!? I'll take care of 'em" said Zidane, standing.

"You know what they are?" asked the knight captain.

The blond gemone nodded"Yeah, Manikins were among the vanguard of Chaos's forces. If they're here, then the warriors of Chaos have definitely returned. But how?"

"My, my, how fitting it is to see you in such panic" said a voice as a white-haired man appeared.

Sora summoned his keyblade and stood, turning to face the man"We don't have time for your games, Kuja."

"Oh, I'm wounded. This night has just begun" grinned Kuja.

Garnet stood up and ran to stand by Zidane's side. The knight captain and general stood with them and Sora's group. Lance and Mia stood back, afraid of what was going to happen.

Kuja sneered at the gathering"Now, now, no need to be so hasty. The Cloud of Darkness and Kefka are here as well, and I'd like to see how well you'd contend against seventy Manikins. They have already invaded."

"Enough!" Zidane charged at his nemesis"Grand Lethal!"

The white-haired Genome teleported out of range from his brother's attack and countered with Flare Star. Dagger hung back, afraid to summon her Eidolons in a cramped space.

"Fira! Thundara!" Sora and Serenia's spells struck Kuja head on, but the villain survived and vanished with a sinister laugh. At that moment, several dark balls appeared before Sora.

"Captain Steiner, General Beatrix, go help Sora fight the monsters. I'll stay right here with Zidane" instructed the brunette queen.

Steiner opened his mouth to protest, only to be met with a glare from his wife, Beatrix. Tifa and Cloud rushed into the action, hacking and bashing down the Dark Ball Heartless.

"Rusty, your knights should stay out of it. Chaos's Manikins can assume the shape of any of us" gasped Zidane. Sora cast a cure spell on the Genome before going off to find the Manikins.

"Dad, wait for me!" called Serenia, running after. Tifa and Cloud followed her to ensure the red-head teen's safety.

Zidane stood up"Kuja's up to something nasty, that's for sure."

Garnet stood at her husband's side"Let's go, our people may be in trouble. Lance, Mia, stay close to us."

Mia drew a short sword"Ready when you are."

Lance nodded"Okay. I might not be very good at using close-range weapons, but I know a few spells that Master Vivi taught me."

"I'm glad to hear that, but you'd better stay close" instructed Dagger.

At that point, a manikin of Zidane appeared alongside a group of Manikins resembling some of Alexandria's soldiers. Zidane got into his battle stance"These imposters have nothing on me."

"Some cannot wait to die, Climhazzard!" Beatrix had unleashed a shockwave from her sword, damaging several Manikins. Steiner and Blutzen rushed forward to cut two enemies down.

A Beatrix Manikin took the place of the ones they just killed, however. Zidane and Beatrix engaged their Manikin counterparts while the others fought against the attacking Manikins in the room.

* * *

><p>Sora, Serenia, Cloud and Tifa rushed out into the hallways and down the grand stairs. Sora looked around"Where could those Manikins be?"<p>

"Looking for something?" jeered Kuja's voice as three Cloud Manikins and two Tifa Manikins appeared. Tifa darted to one and beat it down while Cloud engaged two in a swordfight. Serenia rushed to help Cloud using a Fira spell.

Sora and Tifa teamed up against a Tifa Manikin. The monster weaved around the two as they attempted to land a blow. Stepping back, Sora shot a Blizzard spell on the Manikin, slowing it down enough for Tifa to smash it.

Cloud parried his doppelganger's blows before gaining the upper hand with an upward thrust and a cross-slash. Serenia dueled the other Cloud Manikin with her keyblade and was barely holding her own against it's attacks. Cloud quickly dispatched the Manikin with a Bladebeam. Tifa made short work of the third Cloud Manikin.

"Thanks" gasped Serenia.

"There are still more Manikins, let's go" said Sora, rushing ahead.

"Serenia, you should stay close" instructed Cloud.

The teen nodded and then followed.

* * *

><p>Zidane and Beatrix struggled against the Manikins that took their shape, while Dagger, Steiner and Blutzen fought off the otherrs. Zidane jumped back to avoid a blow from the Thief Manikin and finished it off with Grand Lethal.<p>

Beatrix scowled as she was forced to dodge a fatel blow from the Beatrix Manikin. Dagger immediately summoned Lleviathan to throw the Manikin back, stunning it enough for Zidane to finish it off.

"We should get Lance and Mia to safety" grumbled Steiner.

"Forget about it, there's more incoming" warned Beatrix as five more Manikins attacked. Zidane took three down with a quick Meteo Twist, only for the other two Manikins to rush him.

Steiner and Beatrix intercepted the Manikins. Zidane addressed Garnet"We should get going, Steiner and Beatrix can handle those two Manikins."

"Okay" said Dagger, reluctantly.

* * *

><p>Sora and his group rushed outside the castle to find more Manikins advancing towards their position. Cloud took point with his buster blade"Only Chaos' warriors can control these mindless puppets. We may have to hurry."<p>

"I agree, let's go" piped the Martial Artist, rushing forward to knock a couple Manikins back before backflipping out of the way of a Cloud Manikin as it stabbed at her. Cloud rushed at the Manikin and cut it down with Braver.

Sora dove at the group of Manikins with a Rising Sun technique. Upon landing, a Manikin slashed at Sora's shoulder. Staggered, Sora countered with Thunder to stun the Manikin long enough to finish it.

Two more Manikins charged at Serenia, who shot one with fire before being attacked by the other. Sora rushed towards the offending Manikin and stabbed it, Serenia gripped her shoulder as she watched"Thanks, that was too close."

"Here" Tifa handed a potion to Serenia who made a face, but drank it anyway.

Cloud hacked down two more Manikins before being stabbed in the shoulder. Sora healed him and attacked the Manikins with Strike Raid.

* * *

><p>Zidane, Dagger, Mia and Lance ran out of the dining hall, only to be accosted by ten more Manikins. Zidane charged forward and initiated the fight with Meteo Twist before barely dodging Grand Lethal from a Capricious Thief Manikin.<p>

Dagger focused her energy into summoning Shiva, the Ice-Elemental Eidolon blasted the Manikins back with Diamond Dust. Zidane finished the Manikins with another Meteo Twist.

"That was amazing" breathed Lance.

"Heh, no problem, it was easy-peasy. Let's head onward" grinned the Genome.

Mia and Lance followed the blond with Dagger bringing up the rear.

* * *

><p>Sora, Cloud, Tifa and Serenia held their own against the Manikins until they were ambushed by a Wall Partical Beam. The blast demolished the rest of the Manikins, leaving Sora's group standing.<p>

"That blast, it's the Cloud of Darkness" said Cloud.

"Precisely" said the voice as the scantly-clad wraith appeared.

Sora cast cure on his allies before turning his attention to the Chaos Warrior"What are you doing here?"

"We have no need to answer mortals like you" said the Cloud of Darkness in her usual third-person dialect.

Sora readied himself"What do you mean?"

"I can answer that" sneered Kuja as he appeared beside the female Chaos Warrior.

"What do you mean?" gasped Serenia.

Kuja smirked and gestured towards two black-clad figures showing up from the shadosw. Serenia gaped"Don't Nobodies lose their powers when they become their original selves?"

"The power of Darkness cannot be so easily contained. They have picked up a little trick from Yoran to allow themselves to ensnare the Twilight Shard hidden in this world" sneered the white-haired Genome.

Serenia paled"I guess we need reinforcements."

"Why bother? The Cloud of Darkness froze your Gummi Ship in time, its crewmembers will be no more than stone statues long enough for the Twilight Crystal to fall into my grasp" snarled Kuja.

Before them, the sky became a bright orange as a familiar keyhole emerged. Sora's allies looked up to see Arlene and Lumaria floating on a dark gummi ship, Kuja cackled"My, how easy that was."

The Cloud of Darkness smirked"Everything is proceeding as we planned."

"Indeed, two more shards remain if Yoran's hunch is correct. Now, hand over yours and your life will be spared" sneered Kuja.

"Give it up, Kuja!" cried Zidane as he ran into the fray. Garnet, Steiner, Beatrix, Mia and Lance were not far behind their ally.

Kuja coolly snapped his fingers, signaling the remaining Manikins to attack. Beatrix and Steiner immediately occupied themselves with fighting the monsters off, Mia and Lance joined the fight alongside the two knights.

"Will Lance and Mia be okay?" said Serenia, worriedly.

"They'll be fine, let's just wrap these two Chaos jokers up, as much as I hate fighting a lady" said Zidane.

Lumaria coolly teleported town"Oh? And can you take back the shard before Arlene gets away? We have already stolen it, soon this world shall be engulfed by Eternal Twilight. We have not forgotten how to travel through dark corridors."

"Light, darkness and nothingness may be eternal, but that doesn't mean you are!" quipped Sora.

The Cloud of Darkness hissed and threw a Partical Wall spell at the group. Sora and Zidane jumped over and slammed their blades into the Cloud of Darkness. The entity staggered and threw Partical Beam at them.

Kuja cast Ultima on Garnet, who barely managed to summon Carbuncle to absorb some of the spell's effects. Steiner charged at the White-Haired Genome, only to be intercepted by a Flare Star spell.

Sora cast heal on himself and Zidane before blasting Kuja with Fira. Zidane followed it up with Energy Blast, only to be blasted back by Flare. Sora charged right at Kuja with a Ragnarok combo.

Garnet summoned Bahamut to blast the Cloud of Darkness, who teleported out of the way and attempted a Particle Beam, only to be intercepted by Serenia's Blizzara spell. Lance and Mia got on either side of Garnet to back her up while Beatrix made short work of the Manikins. Garnet took a moment to cast Cure on Steiner.

Lumaria smirked as he watched the fight before him"As entertaining as this is, I'll fly the coop. We will meet again, Sora, for the last time."

"Going somewhere?" Zidane rushed at Lumaria, who swung his scythe fiercely. Zidane jumped out of the way and countered with Meteo Twist. Lumaria was thrown back.

Kuja was blasted by a Blade Beam from Cloud, the white-haired Genome snarled"This is not over, yet!"

Tifa lunged at the Cloud of Darkness with Beat Rush and Dolphin Kick. Flattened for a moment, the annoyed entity vanished, Kuja vanished shortly"Bah, you Cosmos Warriors are as formidable as always."

Cloud and Tifa rounded on Lumaria, who got up and conjured a petal storm at the group. Sora and the others covered their eyes as the Graceful Assassin made his escape.

"What's going to happen?" wondered Garnet.

"We'll discuss this in the morning, Yoran's forces won this round" sighed Cloud.

"Don't say that, we could still get that shard back and stop the Twilight Eclipse, right?" piped Serenia.

Sora nodded"You're right, but we don't know where Yoran's headquarters is located. All we can do is find more clues and hopefully get the remaining Twilight Shards before he does. Only thing is, I'm not sure this is a good idea."

"Hey, no need to get all bent out of shape" grinned Zidane.

"He's right, Cosmos's forces have lost a bunch of times before we managed to defeat Chaos for the first time in the thirteenth cycle" murmured Cloud.

Sora shrugged"Guess we'll have to be even quicker. Let's get some rest, tonight."

Lance addressed Zidane"Father, are you mad? I mean, Mia and I helped you, anyway."

"Nah, you two didn't exactly have a choice back there. The real enemies are this 'Yoran' dude and his cronies" grinned the blond Genome.

Garnet smiled"Well, like Sora said, we'll get some rest."

The group returned to the castle. Mia addressed Steiner and Beatrix"What about me?"

"You're lucky you aren't dead. I'll just let this one slide" replied the Alexandrian general.

"Really?" asked Mia.

"absolutely" replied Beatrix, silently daring Steiner to say something.

The group returned to the castle for the night.

* * *

><p>Okay, this chapter is finally ready. I hope you don't mind another cliffhanger. Hm, this fic is sort of turning out a bit darker than the other stories on my profile. Speaking of which, does anyone else think Dirge of Cerberus and Final Fantasy XIII-2 were darker than the main Final Fantasy games? Maybe Final Fantasy VI was, too, but it was still a good game.<p>

Please feel free to review.


	15. A Lingering Soul

Another chapter is up and ready. Two more OCs are introduced, they have the same names as two other OCs from my Dragon Quest fic, though.

Disclaimer: The Final Fantasy series, the Kingdom Hearts series and the Dissidia: Final Fantasy games are Squaresoft's creations, along with their characters, locations etc.

* * *

><p>Chapter XIV: A Lingering Soul<p>

The sun shone on Alexandria in the morning as the group got up and headed for the dining hall. Sora's group was the first to reach the dining hall with Zidane. The others were up and in the hall. They had either pancakes or a salad for those who wanted something healthier.

"So what next?" piped Serenia.

"We might need to go to another world, but we don't know which one" sighed Tifa around a bite of salad.

"So what do you think the next one is?" chimed Serenia

"That's what we'll find out" said Sora, before a holograph projection of Luneth's group appeared.

Serenia glanced over"Luneth?"

The Onion Knight grinned"Sorry we were busy, I thought we should check other worlds for Twilight Shards while you guys were on Zidane's homeworld. You familiar with Spira, right? Something really wierd is going on. Oh, and I had found a communication station on the Pride of Sasune."

"You're really resourceful, Luneth" grinned Tifa.

"Luneth, you may wait for Sora near Spira. I have urgent news" said Cosmos, appearing.

Lance blinked"Uh, is it proper to bow down before a goddess?"

"There is no need. Sora, Spira and Gaia may need your help. The Farplane in Tidus' original homeworld has gone out of control, and there is trouble in Cloud's homeworld as well, I'm afraid" replied the Goddess of Harmony.

"Where should we go next?" piped Serenia.

Cosmos replied"Cloud's world has a powerful force there, Spira should be your first destination. This quest is slowly becoming more difficult than your previous ones."

"Well, my dad is the most powerful Keyblade Master, right?" piped Serenia.

"Not really, I do my best though" interjected Sora.

Zidane squared his shoulders"Well, I had not seen everyone else in a while. Want me to come along?"

Serenia blinked"Uh, sure, but what about your wife?"

Garnet spoke around a bite of salad"What else? I'll be coming, I can't let Kuja get away with this."

"But your majesty, what about your kingdom?" protested Steiner.

"You and Beatrix can take care of things. I don't think I can accept a world without light and darkness" replied Dagger.

Zidane grinned"It is no trouble, Rusty. I'll take good care of her."

"I'm coming, too" piped Mia.

Lance nodded"Count me in."

Beatrix addressed them"Are you certain? We don't know for sure what we're up against. Mia, you and Lance are still young."

"Beatrix is right, Lance. You are the Crown Prince of Alexandria, that should in no way be ignored. Dagger, I'd say we'll join our friends on our own."

"Still, Mia and I are trained enough to us weapons when we need to. We fought together last night, remember?" persisted Lance.

Zidane shrugged"Guess we don't have much choice. Why not, Dagger?"

Garnet hesitated"I would not wish such an experience upon our child or Captain Steiner's. But I suppose we could keep an eye on the children at the same time. Beatrix, Steiner, do you object?"

"We shall comply" replied Beatrix, silently daring Steiner to protest.

Steiner opened his mouth for a second to protest, but then found struggled with himself for a moment"Very well, we shall leave Mia in your majesty's hands. Zidane, you better take good care of Mia and the queen!"

Zidane grinned"Heh, don't worry, will do."

Mia smiled as she glanced at Lance"Guess we have an adventure of our own."

"Yeah, kind of" shrugged Lance.

Cosmos looked on with a smile"I wish you good luck, Spira and Cloud's world may contain powerful foes at present."

Garnet nodded"We should probably go as soon as we're finished with breakfast."

"Yeah, good idea, mom" smiled Lance.

Tifa piped up"We haven't seen Tidus and Yuna in a long time, anyway."

"True" said Sora.

The group finished their breakfast before standing. Garnet, Zidane, Lance and Mia went over to Sora's group. The Alexandrian Queen addressed Beatrix"Take care of things while we're out."

"Yes, your majesty. Everyone, look after her" said the Alexandrian General.

Sora nodded"We will, you can count on us."

Cloud shrugged"Our Gummi Ship is going to be packed at this rate."

"It'll be fine" smiled Sora.

Zidane and Dagger led the way out of the banquet hall. Serenia addressed Lance"Have you ever been to Spira before?"

"No, but I have gone with my dad on treasure hunts before" replied the Alexandrian Prince.

Once Sora's group was out, they headed back to the Ragnarok II.

* * *

><p>Arlene smirked as she approached Yoran and handed the shard over"This is what you wanted, right?"<p>

"Yes, only a few left" replied the man.

"And what of Weiss and Kadaj? Those two may really be up to something" remarked Lumaria.

Yoran was silent for a moment before replying"Leave them to their devices, the heroes from the Realm of Light may deal with them eventually. The last three Twilight Shards will be ours, soon. The heroes do not know how to use their portions of the crystal. For the heck of it though, I will ask Caius to keep tabs on the situation in Midgar."

"You're really a cunning guy, Yoran" smirked Arlene.

"If you say so" he replied.

* * *

><p>Sora's group returned to the Ragnarok II to find the others. Roxas and Xion greeted them.<p>

"Sora, how did it go?" asked Ventus.

"Kuja somehow got the Twilight Shard from that world before I could. I heard that the gummi ship was frozen in time" replied the brunette hero.

Roxas shrugged"I was able to throw up a barrier when the Cloud of Darkness tried to cast her spell, it reduced the effectiveness of her spell, but still prevented us from coming down to help."

"Let's go meet up with Luneth at Spira" suggested Sora.

"Let's mosey ownward" nodded Cloud.

The group returned to the bridge. Sora went to the pilot's seat and addressed Cid who was at the navigation station"Looks like Spira is the next destination."

"All right, I'll set our course with the Warp-G and get us there as soon as I can" nodded the older man.

The group flew the Gummi ship past Alexandria towards another planet, this one had almost the same color-scheme as Zidane's homeworld.

"By the way Uncle Roxas, this is Lance and Mia" said Serenia, introducing two of their allies.

"Nice to meet you two" acknowledged the black-clad Keybearer.

Roxas examined the navagation screen"This should be Spira, right?"

Cid shrugged"Well, I programmed the coordinates into the Warp-G, this should be it."

Sora turned and spotted the Pride of Sasune"Luneth must have been waiting."

A projection appeared on the screen showing Ingus, the Sasune Knight spoke"Luneth and Refia have gone down to an island called 'Besaid.' Glad you could join us, Sora."

"Yeah, sorry if we're late" grinned Sora.

Ingus nodded"It is no trouble, the investigation hasn't truly begun, yet. Arc and I are guarding the Pride of Sasune while Luneth and Refia are down there, the scanner on the Pride of Sasune detected strange activity down there."

"All right, I will take Zidane, Serenia, Lance, Cloud and Tifa down to Spira with me" said Sora.

"Do what you gotta do" remarked Arc.

Zidane grinned"Well, let's go."

Sora and his selected team members teleported down. The group landed at a beach, south of Besaid Village itself. Serenia breathed"Its so pretty, and warm." The view of the ocean was pleasant.

"Its beautiful here" breathed Serenia.

"Yeah" breathed Lance.

"Let's go find a village" said Sora, heading up a nearby hill. The rest of the group followed.

The trek through the island was peaceful as they headed to the village. The group were headed down the hill just outside the village when they saw six more people conversing in front of It, Luneth and Refia were two of them.

"Hey, Luneth" greeted Zidane.

"Zidane, Sora, glad you could make it" grinned one of the others.

"Tidus, Yuna, good to see you again" said Sora, acknowledging another blond and a brunette standing with two younger blonds. One with blue eyes, and one with a mismatched eye color.

"Lightning made contact with me and Tidus on Destiny Island, said Cosmos is assembling her warriors again" spoke Yuna.

"So you know about the Twilight Crystal Shards?" asked Serenia.

Tidus smiled at the little red-head"Your kid, right Sora? These two munchkins Yuna and I brought with me are Astrid and Lester, they're twins. Though Astrid looks more like her mother with her green eye and blue eye."

Astrid blushed at her father's comment"Uh, nice to meet you."

"Same here" grinned Lester.

Tidus continued"We get the gist of what was going on, Yuna even decided to bring the kids along for the ride so that they can visit other worlds, too. Anyway, according to the people in Besaid Village, Pyreflies are acting oddly in the temple."

"Pyreflies?" inquired Serenia.

"They are kind of like fireflies" Astrid put in, a rod hung on her belt. Lester carried a pair of short swords.

"So we should go to the temple, then?" piped Refia.

Yuna nodded"Yes."

The group headed into the village, straight for Besaid Temple. The temple interior was some lavish with a rug layered down onto the floor and four statues guarding over.

"Wasn't Destiny Island always Tidus' world?" asked Serenia.

"It was probably a paradox or something, but this is the real homeworld where Yuna and me came from" explained Tidus.

They climbed a nearby set of stairs to the entrance to a small section of hallways beyond the door on the second floor. Yuna looked around"The Cloister of Trials... I seem to remember being here, actually."

"How can anyone have two different homeworlds?" wondered Serenia.

"The world is full of mysteries, who can say?" replied Yuna.

They crossed the hallways until the group came to a small door in a lower level of the temple. Tidus looked around"Huh, that's odd, I thought the villagers said something was weird."

Refia shook her head"Something is definitely up."

"That is correct" said a voice as Kadaj and Sepiroth both appeared.

Cloud was shocked"How did they split up?"

"The Twilight Crystal is more potent than any can realize. With its power, I am able to assume life of my on" grinned Kadaj.

"And you are all so troublesome" hissed a voice as a red-clad woman with black hair showed up"I am Rosso the Crimson, this world shall be your tomb."

"Dream on!" exclaimed Sora, readying his keyblade.

Rosso cackled"Do you really think to take on three of us at once?"

Kadaj addressed her"I owe them one since the clash at the Land of Departure. Wait until they get to the abyss below this hole, I will confront them, there."

"Ah, you intend to have the Twilight Shard stolen from under their noses? This will be amusing" grimaced the crimson-clad woman.

Kadaj nodded, turning to the nearby door"Follow me if you dare, Cloud."

Cloud shrugged"I can't help but suspect a trap."

"Good luck with that, you may not be able to get out of there, alive" Rosso and Sephiroth vanished.

"What could they be up to?" remarked Tidus.

Sora's group followed the Jenova Remnant through the door leading to a circular chamber with a hole nearby. Serenia walked close to it, warily"Hm, looks kind of deep. Where do you think it goes?"

"Only one way to find out" Zidane walked towards the hole and stepped into it, finding himself standing on a long, winding path leading down.

Sora squared his shoulders and followed, the rest of the group followed shortly after. They came to a long, underground road which took them into a strange place.

"Hm, I think I've been here before" mussed Yuna.

"How? Oh, on your on adventure before, right?" asked Zidane.

Yuna nodded"Yes, that's it. But just remembering feels weird. This place is the road which leads to a part of the Farplane where the living never go. It is supposed to be the final resting place of Spira's dead people."

"Cloud's and my homeworld has something like that: The Lifestream" supplied Tifa.

"So if this is where the dead people of Spira go, are we intruding here?" paled Serenia.

"Precisely" said a voice as a swarm of Pyreflies came out of nowhere.

Sora looked around"Who's there? Didn't Kadaj pass through here?"

The voice, a female replied"Yes, he is a shell of whom should not have been here in the first place. Those with dark hearts should not defile such sacred places as this, but your hearts are so pure."

Sora looked around for the source of the disembodied voice"Where are you?"

The Pyreflies began to gather to a spot in front of the group and began to take form. Tifa watched with awe"Is it trying to become human?"

The Pyreflies faded as they took shape of a young woman with long lavender hair pulled back into a ponytail. She wore a bluish armor over her light blue tunic and dark pants. Her eyes were a greenish color"I have wondered the realms of Darkness and Light since after the Keyblade War ended. My name was Questa."

"Questa? Never heard of you" remarked Cloud.

Questa nodded"I was a Keyblade Master, one who fought during the Keyblade War. In the days before everyone fought over the Great Light which shone upon the worlds when they were still one. My love, Yoran and I have long since been doomed to exist as Lingering Spirits."

"Yoran? You mean... Sanhille?" squeaked Serenia.

Questa grimly nodded"He was a good man, and a cunning warrior in the Keyblade War. I cannot recall everything, so I know not how I can help you stop the madness being caused by the Twilight Crystal's formidable power. That is your goal, is it not?"

"How do you know that? And why would you help us?" asked Sora.

Questa replied"Being dead and a Lingering Spirit has its advantages. As I am, all I could bring myself to do was watch for the past few thousand years. If you will permit it, I can accompany you on your quest and find out what caused Yoran to change. Spira was my home, which explains the pyreflies you just saw. Yoran was from Twilight Town."

"So you watched everything? That's amazing" whispered Serenia.

Questa started to stride forward deeper into the farplane, pretending not to hear Serenia"Whether or not you agree to let me join, foreign beings below linger where they should not."

"Then let's get rid of Kadaj" chimed Tidus.

"Thank you" whispered the lingering spirit.

Sora stood there for a moment"She sure sounds like she needs help. Questa, we'd be happy to have you along."

Questa nodded, and led the way deeper inside on foot. The group and their newest addition traveled deeper and farther into the Farplane, until they emerged into what looked like a vast garden.

"What is this place?" asked Serenia.

"The Farplane Abyss" whispered Yuna.

Questa stood still"The enemy lies ahead, I can sense their foul presence."

"So you came" Kadaj approached.

"This ends here, Kadaj" said Cloud.

Kadaj drew his blade"Wait until you see what I have with me."

Even as the Jenova Remnant spoke, fifteen Manikins resembling either Cloud, Tifa or Sephiroth appeared. Zidane drew his daggers"This never gets old, Manikins are nothing."

Kadaj grinned maliciously"Let us fight to the death this time."

"Be careful what you wish for, Omnislash!" Cloud unleashed a flurry of sword slashes which Kadaj dodged and countered with a stab.

Sora and the others intercepted the Manikins. Tifa flipped a Imaginary Brawler Manikin over her shoulder before blocking an oncoming attack from a Imaginary Soldier.

Sora leapt into the air and mowed down several Cloud Manikins with Rising Sun. A Sephiroth Manikin stabbed at Sora, who dodged and countered with a fire spell.

Cloud staggered back and lunged forward, slashing downward at Kadaj. The other man blocked and aimed a sweep kick. Cloud jumped over that and aimed a downward stab at Kadaj, who dodged and cast Flare.

"Cloud!" Yuna quickly healed him while Tidus butted into the duel with a blitzball to Kadaj's face.

Serenia cast blizzard and thunder spells at some of the Manikins, while Lance and Zidane protected her by engaging Manikins that got too close.

Kadaj reeled from the impact and lunged at Tidus, who dodged and countered with Spiral Slash. Kadaj staggered back while Cloud unleashed Bladebeam at the Jenova Remnant. Kadaj swiftly recovered and jumped over the beam, slashing Tidus in the side before turning once more on Cloud.

Yuna healed Tidus while Lester charged at the Manikin horde and slashed through several of them.

"Nice one, Lester" said Tidus, joining his son his striking down more manikins.

Cloud and Kadaj continued to lock blades against each other as Tifa, Serenia and Sora eliminated as many Manikins as they could. Though he was tiring, Cloud slashed upwards as Kadaj swung down at him and lunged forward with a cross slash. Kadaj collapsed onto his knee at the injury"You think you've won?"

"The Manikins are being mopped up, so I believe that's my line" said Cloud, puzzled at Kadaj's words.

Kadaj stood and swung one last time, hitting Cloud in the chest. While Yuna rushed to heal the blond Ex-Soldier, Tifa lunged at Kadaj with a flurry of punches and a sweep kick. As soon as he was healed, Cloud focused his inner energy into his sword, spun it once and stabbed it to the ground, summoning a series of meteors"Meteorain!"

As Kadaj was being pelted by Cloud's limit break, Rosso had stood by and watched with a sneer"Step into our trap, fools."

"Hm?" Questa turned towards the Heart of the Farplane while the others were holding off the Manikins.

"What's wrong?" asked Serenia.

Questa replied"I may have underestimated our foe."

Sora ran ahead, followed by Zidane, Tidus and Yuna. Up ahead, they found Kuja and the Cloud of Darkness. Kuja held a shard in his hand"You are a step too late. The curtain draws to a close on you."

"We'll see about that" said Tidus, charging at Kuja. The silver-haired man blasted him back with flare.

"All shall be engulfed in darkness" stated the Cloud of Darkness.

Yuna healed Tidus while Luneth cast Firaga at Kuja. The man dodged and warped away"I have no time to deal with you."

"How did he get the shard before we did?" frowned Refia.

"I don't know, but let's get the Cloud of Darkness" said Luneth, readying himself for a fight.

The Cloud of Darkness unleashed particle beam before lashing out with her snake-like tentacles.

Sora and the others dodged. Cloud charged forward, only to be blasted back by an aura ball. Luneth countered the wraith's attack with Comet. The Cloud of Darkness was flung back, only to counter with another Aura Ball.

"Didn't exactly want to fight a lady, but here goes. Meteo Twist!" Zidane unleashed one of his special attacks on the Cloud of Darkness, only for her to retaliate with a lash of one of its tentacles.

"Those snake things get on my nerves" sighed Serenia, casting Fira at the wraith, only to get hit by an Aura Ball for her trouble.

Sora lunged forward and slashed the Cloud of Darkness, who staggered back and countered with 0-Particle Beam.

Cloud lunged forward, slashing at the Cloud of Darkness with a flurry of blows"OMNISLASH!"

Luneth pitched in"Comet!"

Infuriated, the wounded Cloud of Darkness sent a blast of Particle Beams and Aura Balls at the group. Sora cast curaga on his allies before countering the Cloud of Darkness with Strike Raid. As the wraith staggered, Tifa pounded the living daylights out of the Cloud of Darkness with Final Heaven.

"Giving up?" Zidane addressed the Cloud of Darkness.

The Chaos Warrior barely stayed afloat as it faded"Don't think you've won."

"Let's get back to the others" shrugged Sora after a moment.

"Yeah" breathed Refia, who was healing her allies.

Sora's group returned to their allies at the Farplane Glen. Questa approached"You lost the Twilight Shard, didn't you?"

"Yeah, we're in big trouble since Yoran is in on the hunt for shards" replied Sora.

Questa shrugged as she led the way out"I would've liked to help stop Xehanort when he tried to recreate the keyblade war or defeat Mateus, but I could easily lose control of myself, so I didn't interfere. Its because I'm a lingering spirit."

"That's not necessarily a problem" smiled Yuna as they returned to Besaid Temple.

The minute the group exited into the village, Questa addressed them"I will go off on my own to try and find a way into the realm where Yoran is keeping his headquarters. If possible, we should try to parlay with him. Despite whatever he's doing, I know there's good left in him."

"Okay, we'll see you around. The rest of us are headed for Cloud's original homeworld" smiled Sora.

Questa nodded"Thanks, guys" and summoned forward a keyblade. Tossing it upwards, she turned it into a glider and donned a blue helmet.

"So how do you know Yoran?" inquired Serenia.

"That's kind of a long story. I'm afraid we don't have time. Farewell, for now" replied Questa as she got on her Keyblade Glider.

Sora nodded"You two."

* * *

><p>Back at Yoran's headquarters, Caius addressed Kuja"You seem to be getting reckless, not that it is any of my concern."<p>

"Too right, you know. Kadaj and the Cloud of Darkness may have been defeated, but we certainly have enough allies to carry out Yoran's little scheme" smirked the silver-haired genome.

"Do what you may, I am currently watching over events in Midgar. Weiss is up to something" speculated Caius.

Kuja grinned"Truly? This will be most amusing."

"Indeed" Sephiroth approached.

"So why were you with Rosso? I imagined you wouldn't want anything to do with any of Weiss's ilk" spoke Kuja.

Sephiroth frowned"I am merely messing with them, I will deal with the Crimson soon enough. Just keep Kefka in line, Kuja."

* * *

><p>Finished another chapter, I hope I made sense. If this is getting too dark, please let me know and I'll tone it down.<p>

Please review if you'd like.


	16. Attack of the Tsviets

Here you go, another chapter is on your way. This chapter and the next may contain spoilers for Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus.

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and the Final Fantasy series are Square's creation.

* * *

><p>Chapter XV: Attack of the Tsviets<p>

Yoran absentmindedly glanced out the window in his lair, pondering his move. Arlene silently approached, slightly board of constantly waiting"Do you have another assignment for me, yet?"

The man didn't turn"Not quite, I have yet to collect the last two Twilight Shards. I can leave the ones gathered by our enemies well enough alone. It pains me to deceive our opponents in such a dishonorable fashion, bit this is necessary."

"Careful, some of us may already know what a big softy you are. No wonder Weiss could be revolting against us, Xemnas was loads better at this leadership crap than you" smirked Arlene.

"You think so? I suppose you wouldn't mind testing me, then" smiled Yoran.

"I think I will pass. Oh, and does the name 'Questa' mean anything to you?" scathed Arlene.

A flash of pain passed through the man's eyes as he turned"Q-Questa? How do you know about her?"

"Rosso and Raines came up with some rather... juicy tidbits before the Cloud of Darkness got herself zapped. If I am not mistaken, this Questa person seems to know you" Arlene spoke.

"That doesn't concern you. And don't mention my past in front of anyone else, just go do something productive rather then trying to get inside my head" sighed Yoran as another flash of pain crossed his eyes.

"Very well, then" Arlene left the room towards the entrance hall of the mystery world with a smirk.

Yoran just stood there, rubbing his head as he composed himself'Are Arlene and Kuja toying with me? I hope not. Lingering Spirits are quite dangerous when provoked. They'd better leave Questa out of it. I will not let anyone touch her... If she's even out there, still.'

* * *

><p>Sora's group returned to the Gummi Ship and made ready to take off. Luneth and Refia rejoined Arc and Ingus in the Pride of Sasune while Tidus' group went to their own small gummi vessel to go join Sora's in the Ragnarok II.<p>

When they ran into each other on board, Tidus addressed them"Okay, here's the gist. Yuna and I had used a small ship for four passengers to reach Spira from Destiny Island. Hopefully it won't be too much trouble for us to help you kick some Chaos Warrior behind."

"Its great to have you along again, Tidus" grinned Sora.

"Okay, so we failed to collect two shards. Hopefully we'll have better luck" sighed Tifa.

A beeping signal suddenly ran throughout the ship's computers. Sora and the others rushed to the bridge to find Cid inspecting the source. Zidane addressed him"What's happening?"

"We got us an odd signal coming from the west" shrugged the blond engineer.

"Hm. Should we go check it out?" asked Tidus.

"Great idea" smiled Sora.

"All right, let's head on out" said Cid.

Sora went over to the pilot's seat and set a course to the west. On the Pride of Sasune, Arc took charge of the controls and followed the Ragnarok II where it was headed. They traveled only a short distance when they came upon a black vortex.

"Whoa, where does that go?" wondered Serenia.

"Who knows? Let's go in. Luneth, you ready?" Sora used the intercom to contact the silver-haired Cosmos Warrior.

Luneth grinned as he replied from his end"Ready when you are."

The two ships sped into the vortex, going at a high speed as they went. When they emerged on the other side, they could see a light blue circular mass in the new sector.

"Man, that never seems to get old" shrugged Sora.

"It sure dropped us off at another unknown world" grunted Cid.

Tifa went over to check the navigational screen"Huh, I think I just saw a slight orange dot there. Do you think there's a shard down there?"

Sora grinned"Probably not, but let's go check it out. Cloud, Tifa, are you coming this time?"

"Of course. How about it, Cloud?" acknowledged Tifa.

Cloud squared his shoulders"All right, let's move."

Serenia, Tyler, Tidus and Yuna went over to join them. The brunette summoner addressed them"So where do you think we'll wind up this time?"

"Beats me" shrugged Sora, going to use the intercom to contact Luneth.

The Onion Knight answered"Hey, what's up? Refia and I were about to go down there."

"Great, so are Serenia, Tyler, Tidus, Yuna, Cloud, Tifa and me. Can we meet you down there?" grinned Sora.

"Sure" piped Refia.

Sora's group went to the teleportation device and warped down. They landed in a large green field with a huge city up ahead.

"Huh? Hey, Cloud. I think this is our original homeworld" mussed Tifa.

"Midgar... I think we've been here" mussed the blond swordsman.

"Hm. No doubt. Hey, what's that over there?" Tifa spotted smoke coming out of the huge city, and over a dozen unknown soldiers charged at them. Sora braced himself.

"This doesn't look good" groaned the brunette Martial Artist.

"They may have numbers, but we have a few tricks up our sleeve" grinned Sora.

"Wait, look!" Yuna had looked behind her, over a dozen soldiers clad in blue raced to intercept the soldiers which were clad in black.

"Cloud. Its... Its the World Regenesis Organization" gasped Tifa, looking behind her.

"Deepground soldiers here, too. Huh? Why do we know those two groups?" gasped Cloud.

Sora shrugged"I'm guessing the guys in black uniforms are the bad guys."

"Try not to take out any of the WRO by mistake" pointed Tifa, charging at a Deepground soldier.

Cloud charged forward and cut down two Deepground soldiers before narrowly avoiding a bullet from another. Tifa attacked the soldier that attacked Cloud, while Sora struck at the remaining soldiers with his Rising Sun technique.

"Man, these guys are good" commented a WRO soldier, shooting one of the last Deepground soldiers.

"Thanks a lot" breathed Tifa.

Cloud heard his cellphone ring and answered, a voice spoke to him"Cloud? Is that you?"

"Yes, its me. But who am I addressing?" asked the blond swordsman.

The voice replied"Its me, Reeve, the Commissioner of the WRO. For some reason, you, Yuffie, Cid, and Tifa vanished from our world. We barely managed to fight off some of the Deepground soldiers with Vincent's help."

"Sorry for not being there, Reeve. What is Deepground after?" asked the swordsman.

Reeve replied over the phone"We found out Deepground is trying to trick the planet into unleashing Omega to destroy the world. Vincent, Red, Barrett and the majority of the WRO are fighting them over in Midgar. Can I ask you to go help them? Oh, and if you're wondering, someone called Cosmos said you may be here, and that a man with silver hair is also attacking. I suspect its Sephiroth, though I doubt it could've been since Sephiroth was destroyed three years ago."

"Sephiroth? All right, we'll be there, Reeve" Cloud hung up.

"What's going on?" asked Yuna.

Cloud shrugged"A friend of Tifa's, Yuffie's and mine, Vincent Valentine, is fighting the Deepground organization. They are after Omega, apparently. That could mean this world's end."

"So what are we waiting for?" Sora rushed ahead. Cloud and the others followed.

* * *

><p>"That was a grave mistake on Weiss' part" mussed Caius.<p>

Sephiroth, who materialized next to him, spoke"You want me to dispose the Tsviets?"

"I will dispatch Weiss, if the man in red and black doesn't get to him first. Cloud is yours to deal with" said Caius, grimly.

"Vincent Valentine... this should be somewhat entertaining. I will ambush Cloud if I can, he is in for a nasty surprise either way. Vincent should not be a threat to you" grinned Sephiroth, walking down the column they were on via the walkway.

Caius stood in place before warping somewhere else'Time to see how this unfolds.'

* * *

><p>Sora and his group hurried onward, noticing the dead bodies of WRO agents and Deepground soldiers alike. Yuna spoke"How is it you remember this place when you and Cloud were from Radiant Garden, Tifa?"<p>

"Alternate universe, I suppose. Cosmos may know, but I doubt she would tell us" said Cloud.

"Good to know what we're up against in this world, so what exactly is Deepground?" shrugged Sora.

"Supposedly, it was a secret unit built by the Shinra Company. It was hidden from the rest of the world three years ago in this dimension" replied Cloud.

"Deepground sounds scary" remarked Tyler.

They headed through Midgar, making to the upper levels of the city. Along the way, several Deepground soldiers ambushed them from the shadows and narrowly hit Cloud.

"Fira! Blizzara!" Tyler and Serenia's spells took down three soldiers, while Tifa bashed through the rest with a combination of Beat Rush, Somersault and Final Haven.

"Its a good bet we'll see Nero and his ilk" remarked Cloud, walking ahead.

Tidus squared his shoulders"Well, ready or not, here we come."

The group made their way up to the highest heights of Midgar via a wall with climbable vines and gears. At the very top, a large multi-floor building loomed in front of them. Cloud readied himself"Shinra Headquarters, if I recall. Shinra was a corrupt organization."

"Hey, you don't suppose we are linked to our original selves from this universe?" pondered Tifa.

Before Cloud could reply, Serenia pointed"Look!"

Up ahead, a man clad in red with dark hair and a gold gauntlet was shooting down some Deepground Soldiers before going in. Tifa rushed ahead to greet the man"Vincent!"

"Tifa, long time no see I suppose" said the man.

The brunette Keyblade Master approached"Hey, I'm Sora."

"I'm Serenia, and that's Tyler" said the teenage red-head, pointing to the shy blue-haired teen.

"Yo, I'm Tidus. Yuna, here is my wife" said the blond blitzer.

The man, who was holding a pistol in his hand, nodded"Pleasure, but this is no time for pleasantries." With that, he began to move on.

Yuna ran up to him"Wait, what's your name?"

The man stood in silence before replying"Vincent."

"Vincent, will you let us help you?" asked Cloud.

The gunner was about to protest, when Tifa interjected"I know what you're going to say. 'This is my problem, not yours. I must do it alone, blah, blah. I believe that is Cloud's line."

"Do whatever you want" said Vincent, walking ahead.

The others followed the gunman into the Shinra building to find it partly in ruins. Serenia gasped"What could have destroyed all this?"

"Meteor destroyed most of the upper levels, I think" shrugged Tifa.

The trek through was mostly uneventful as they walked, save for an occasional encounter with Deepground soldiers. As they ventured further in, a dark-haired woman in red approached with several Deepground Soldiers"You again, Sora. Well, now you will get a taste of the power of Rosso the Crimson. And Vincent, shame you and Shelke had to interfere."

"Shelke? Who is she?" wondered Serenia.

"A former Tsviets member, she turned against Deepground. I imagine that Nero the Sable is dealing with her right now" grinned Rosso, maliciously.

"Your heart has long turned to darkness... Hasn't it?" said Sora, sensing the malice in Rosso's words.

Rosso readied her blade"Enough talk, let's see just what you are capable of." With that, she converted it into a gun and fired bullets at the group. Sora quickly through up Reflect, deflecting the Crimson's attack. The Deepground soldiers in the area charged at them, firing away. Sora and Yuna kept reflecting as best they could while Cloud, Tifa and Tidus proceeded to counterattack.

"Its over" Vincent fired a bullet at Rosso, piercing her shoulder. The infuriated crimson warrior charged, slashing at Vincent. The red-clad man staggered and countered with a kick.

Sora cut down a Deepground soldier while Tifa smashed another. Tidus dodged round after round, toying with his opponent until he found the opportunity to stab the soldier in the chest.

Tyler and Serenia cast Fira and Thundara respectively at Rosso, who fired back with a round of bullets. Vincent recovered and shot Rosso in the chest. Staggering, Rosso tossed her blades, which whirled towards Vincent. The gunman barely dodged while Serenia cast Fira at Rosso. Rosso shot her guns again, only for Sora to quickly jump in front of Serenia and take the blow.

"Sora!" Yuna hurried to heal the keyblade master, while Tidus flipped forward and attempted to land a Spiral Cut attack on Rosso. The Crimson dodged and slashed at Tidus, who barely blocked with his sword.

Yuna healed Sora, who got up in time to intercept a couple of Deepground snipers who attempted to butt in using Reflect to deflect their bullets. They keyblade master then turned to witness the duel between Tidus and Rosso. Tidus was winning, but Rosso got so irritated that she tripped Tidus and tried to stab downward when Cloud darted forward and stabbed Rosso. The Crimson staggered back from the attack long enough for Sora to finish her with Strike Raid.

"That was it?" asked Yuna.

Rosso staggerd, clutching her wound"Very... Impressive, though I will not let you have the honor of killing me: Rosso the Crimson."

"Pathetic" a long sword struck from nowhere and finished Rosso off. Cloud glanced ahead to see Sephiroth emerging from the nearby corridor.

"Sephiroth, do you want to be next?" Tifa readied herself.

The Chaos warrior smirked"Not quite, there are three more Tsviets members for you to contend with. I am looking forward to see how you all fare, you who oppose Yoran in his grand scheme. Mind you that Caius and Kuja may have plans of their own."

Sora kept his keyblade ready"What do you mean?"

"Never you mind" replied Sephiroth, walking away and vanishing.

"Doubtless, it would've been foolish to face him so soon after fighting one of the Tsviets" remarked Vincent.

"Who are the other Tvsiets?" asked Serenia.

"I know of Nero the Sable and Azul the Cerulean. A girl, Shelke, was one of the Tsviets. She eventually betrayed Deepground not long after reuniting with her sister, who is nearly dead" said Vincent, grimly.

"The third one is Weiss, isn't it? Just call it a hunch" shrugged Sora.

Vincent shrugged and led the way further down the hidden tunnels and passageways.

* * *

><p>Sephiroth walked down a different passageway when he met up with the Mad Mage"Yo Sephiroth, are you going to hog all of the fun?"<p>

"Kefka, aren't you supposed to be witnessing what is going on in the dimension where Chaos has lost control of himself and gone feral?" frowned the silver-haired swordsman.

"Aw, what's the fun in that? All right then, I will wait back at the secluded castle. The activity here should prove quite amusing, however. Especially if it looks like you're marching towards your doom" cackled Kefka.

Sephiroth shrugged and kept on walking'Once Rosso, Nero and Azul have been dealt with, I will eliminate Cloud and Weiss at the same time. Vincent and Tifa will not be spared, either. Caius was correct about this, Sanhille could not predict Weiss' betrayal.'

* * *

><p>Sora's group pressed on, fighting off more Deepground Soldiers as they headed for an elevator. Upon reaching it, the sight of a large man with dark blue hair greeted them"Hail Weiss" he whispered to himself.<p>

"Is that-?" Tifa trailed off.

"Azul" Vincent readied himself.

Azul stood there, a dark aura emitting from him. Sora recognized the symptoms, the man before them was becoming a Heartless. A moment passed before the man's body began to transform into a giant beast resembling a large Behemoth/Bahamut hybrid.

"Are the Tsviets evil from the beginning?" paled Serenia.

Vincent got in front"He's about to charge."

Arch Azul roared and charged, ramming Vincent and Sora before casting a spell at the group. Yuna cast Curaga on her allies while Arch Azul trampled towards Sora. The Keybearer jumped aside and slashed at the monster's side. Arch Azul spun around, knocking Sora into the wall before charging at Vincent. The gunman dodged and shot a flammable can not far from the elevator. The blast stunned Azul enough for Serenia and Tyler to blast him with a spell.

"This guy looks tough" commented Tidus, administering a potion on Sora.

"Bladebeam!" Cloud unleashed a magic beam attack, which caused Arch Azul to stagger a bit before charging at Cloud with its horns and swinging its tail at the rest of the group.

"Okay, that's it" Tidus pulled out his Blitzball, bounced it into the air before back flipping into the air and kicking the blitzball right into Azul's face. Vincent, Serenia and Tyler pelted the huge monster with spells.

"Time to end this" Sora charged forward, unleashing a series of strikes with his keyblade and stabbing Azul. The blow stunned the huge monster enough for Vincent to transform into a Galleon Beast and pound the living daylights out of Arch Azul before blasting it with a tremendous flare attack.

Arch Azul began to disappear in a shower of sparks before reverting back into human form, staggering before them. Vincent charged, grabbed Azul while still in his beast form and hurled him towards the elevator shaft. In his weakened state, Azul fell to his death.

"Scratch one behemoth" remarked Tidus, putting away his weapon.

"Too bad he didn't stand a chance" smirked Tifa.

Yuna and Sora healed their companions before they went to take the elevator deeper into the lair of Deepground. Vincent transformed back into his human form before following.

* * *

><p>Caius spied on the situation from the shadows"So they have bested two of the most powerful warriors of Deepground, which Yoran said the Tsviets are. Major miscalculation on his part, I presume."<p>

"Indeed" Sephiroth approached"Cloud and his friends are nearing the last two traitors of Yoran's organization."

"Excellent. I need not interfere after all" grimaced Caius.

* * *

><p>Here you go, I hope this chapter wasn't too bad. Despite the chapter title, I'll leave a cliffhanger here and wrap the 'Deepground' section of the fic up in another chapter. Sorry if this seems a bit rushed, Dirge of Cerberus wasn't exactly the best game I played, but it was still good.<p>

Please feel free to review.


	17. Omega

Here's the next chapter for you. I may not be following the events of Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus exactly, but oh well.

Disclaimer: Remember, all Kingdom Hearts games, characters, locations etc. are Squaresoft's creations. Same goes for Dissidia: Final Fantasy and its sequel.

* * *

><p>Chapter XVI: Omega<p>

Sora and Serenia glanced around as the group headed deeper underneath the Shinra Building with the rest of their companions. The underground complex was long and winding as they walked.

"Is it just me, or is this place getting creepier?" whispered Serenia.

"Deepground wasn't called that for humor's sake" responded Tifa.

Vincent ignored the conversation and kept his gun at the ready. Cloud likewise had his sword out, ready to fight. As they traveled onward, they came to a strange sight. Deepground soldiers were in the next room with a dark haired man, but Dusk and Samurai Nobodies were fighting them.

"Bah, these soldiers are useless against these creatures" grumbled Nero, who hadn't noticed the group's presence.

"Nero" Vincent whispered, readying himself.

"Ah, the Keybearer and his friends. I see you're here as well, Valentine" Nero turned to face them.

Sora noticed that Nero's tone was creepier than usual. Before anything else can be said, Soldier Heartless and Darkballs appeared and began to harry all three groups. Tyler frowned"Could this be...?"

"Do you suppose they were drawn here?" inquired Tifa.

"Comet!" a spell knocked out a soldier heartless. Luneth and Refia had joined the battle.

"What kept you?" asked Tifa, duking it out with two Samurai Nobodies.

Luneth shrugged"We saw Sephiroth pass by when we entered this weird complex and were attacked by Manikins. We defeated them, though."

Sora smashed a group of the Heartless and Nobodies with his Rising Sun technique. Vincent shot down a heartless before turning his Cerberus gun on Nero. The man blasted him with lasers before transforming, wings sprouting on his back.

"What the heck?" Cloud cut down a Samurai Nobody before turning his attention to Nero's transformed figure.

"The darkness has overtaken his heart" shrugged Sora, lunging at Gorgonero. Gorgonero fired a barrage of lasers and lunged straight at Sora, who dodged and retaliated with a thunder spell.

Luneth and Refia blasted the Darkball Heartless with spells while Cloud and Tifa engaged the remaining Nobodies at close-quartered combat. The Deepground Soldiers in the area were killed by the remaining Samurai Nobodies.

"May I be of assistance?" a girl with brown hair and dark clothes joined the fray with twin blades.

"Shelke" Vincent acknowledged her.

"Vincent Valentine, I will require your aid in eliminating the enemy units" spoke the former Tsviets member.

"Don't have to ask any of us" piped Tifa before Vincent could say anything as she jumped and punched a Darkball Heartless into the ground.

Nero smirked"Shelke the Transparent. I am surprised you escaped my dark prison." With that, the Sable launched a barrage of lasers at Shelke. Sora quickly cast reflect on Shelke, while Serenia and Tyler shot Aero spells at Gorgonero.

Tidus and Yuna fought back-to-back as the Soldier Heartless surrounded them. The blond blitzer sliced and diced his opponents while Yuna backed him up with Valefor's energy beams.

Vincent shot at Nero, who dodged and fired more lasers at him before charging full speed at Serenia. Sora jumped in the way, only to be knocked down by the Sable's fearsome attack.

"Dumb Heartless" grumbled Tifa, who smashed a couple more Darkballs. The last Darkball Heartless attempted to bite her, only to be intercepted by Cloud's blade.

Shelke readied herself with her blades as Nero attempted to shoot more lasers at her. Vincent covered Shelke by firing bullets at their common enemy. Yuna turned her attention to their flying enemy and summoned Bahamut to blast Nero with Megaflare.

The Sable dodged and countered with laser barrages. Yuna was briefly knocked off her feet, Tidus angrily shot his blitzball at Nero using a Jecht Shot. That knocked Nero out of the air long enough for Vincent to shoot the Tsviet.

"There you have it" grinned Luneth, cutting down two Samurai Nobodies. Cloud, Tifa and Refia helped the silver-haired Cosmos Warrior finish off the Nobodies. The remaining heartless were defeated by Tifa and Shelke.

"Piece of cake" smirked Tidus.

Vincent put away his gun"Shelke, I thought you were captured."

"I was, but these two freed me from Nero's dark prison" shrugged the brunette girl.

Sora addressed Shelke"And you are?"

The 'little girl' replied"Shelke Rui, formerly of the Tsviets."

Sora glanced at Nero before addressing the others"Guess we should go further."

Vincent nodded, and the group headed deeper into the complex. They were unaware that Sephiroth and Caius had been monitoring their progress.

* * *

><p>"It seems that Sora is mostly successful" mussed Caius.<p>

Sephiroth shrugged"I will meet them wherever Weiss is. That would be Mako Reactor Zero, unless I am mistaken. Caius, is Kuja planning to steal another twilight crystal? Perhaps he could use some help."

"That silver-haired genome can get his way with his silver tongue. I, however, have business at the Blue Planet, the Paladin's homeworld. I don't suppose you will die in this world? I can predict that this may well be the case" grimaced the purple-haired man.

"You call yourself the Guardian of the Timeline? I doubt this is the case if you're telling me" grinned Sephiroth, summoning a dark portal and vanishing. Caius simply vanished and left Cloud's homeworld.

* * *

><p>Sora's group, accompanied by Shelke, traveled further into the complex until they found a hidden reactor. Sora glanced at the sign"Mako Reactor 0. What the heck is this Mako anyway?"<p>

"The life blood of the planet, or at least in this world's case" replied Tifa.

Vincent nodded"Indeed. The Shinra Company was aware of it, but they proceeded to collect Mako, regardless. That was put a stop to three years a go, especially after the Meteorfall when Sephiroth nearly destroyed the planet."

"The Shinra sounds horrible" remarked Serenia.

Sora and the others entered the reactor to see the silver-haired Chaos Warrior Sephiroth appear. Cloud tightened his grip on the Buster Sword when he saw his old enemy"Sephiroth."

"Cloud. You really just can't stop meddling can you?" grinned the silver-haired swordsman.

Cloud addressed the others"I'll deal with Sephiroth, the rest of you go ahead."

"You're not fighting him alone" responded Tifa, standing beside the spikey-haired blond.

Sora hesitated"Cloud, are you sure?"

Vincent interjected"Do as you wish, I will go on ahead."

"The rest of us are going with you" piped Sora.

The gunner merely walked on ahead silently. Sora and the rest of the group followed except for Cloud and Tifa. The silver-haired swordsman sneered"As I've said before Cloud, you cannot run from your past."

"Enough talk. Bladebeam!" Cloud initiated the first move, only for Sephiroth to dodge and counter with a horizontal slash of his sword. Cloud and Tifa dodged and rushed at their opponent.

* * *

><p>Sora's group headed deeper into the reactor until they came to a small chamber. At the center stood the silver-haired Deepground leader. Sora readied his keyblade"Is that the leader of Deepground?"<p>

The man drew his sword silently"I half expected this. It has turned out perfectly, I'd say."

"Weiss the Immaculate" breathed Shelke.

"That's the last of the Tsviets?" asked Serenia.

"It matters not to me what happened to the other Tsviets. Omega awakens soon" both Weiss's voice and another spoke simultaneously, causing Serenia and Tyler to shrink back in astonishment.

Vincent gripped his hand on his gun tightly as he bristled at the sound of the second voice, which was more high-pitched than that of Deepground's leader. A dark-haired silhouette appeared"Well, well, its been two years, Vincent Valentine."

"Who's that guy?" asked Serenia, readying herself.

The man possessing Weiss' body replied maliciously"I am Hojo, I've planted my very consciousness into this soldier's body and Omega will awaken very soon thanks to me tricking the planet into awakening it prematurely."

"Enough of this, you're just sick. Taking control of someone's heart and mind like that" Sora challenged Hojo.

Hojo-Weiss snarled"A loudmouthed fool, I see. Prepare to be destroyed!"

"That's what you think" Sora readied himself.

* * *

><p>"Final Heaven!"<p>

"Omnislash!"

Cloud and Tifa's limit breaks barely dented Sephiroth before the silver-haired Chaos Warrior dodged and countered with his Hell's Gate smash attack. Cloud dodged and slashed at his adversary, who dodged and stabbed at Cloud. Tifa lunged at the Chaos Warrior with a flurry of punches and kicks. Sephiroth was knocked down for a moment before he got back up and unleashed a flurry of slashes.

* * *

><p>Sora and Serenia threw fire spells at Hojo-Weiss, who dodged and slashed at the two. Vincent shot at Weiss, who took the bullet to the shoulder and retaliated by plunging his blade into the ground and unleashing a shockwave. Sora and the others dodged.<p>

"This guy's not playing around" remarked Luneth, unleashing Comet at Weiss, only for the Immaculate to knock Luneth back with his blade in retaliation.

"Fira!" Sora and Serenia cast the spell at Weiss, who staggered from the blow.

Seeing his chance, Vincent shot Weiss in the chest.

* * *

><p>Tifa and Cloud backed up out of the way of Sephiroth's attack. The Chaos Warrior raised his hand and cast a Meteor Spell. Cloud barely got out of the way and countered with Bladebeam. Sephiroth jumped over the shockwave and stabbed at Cloud, who quickly dodged and countered with Omnislash.<p>

"Nice Try, Sephiroth" quipped Tifa, following up Cloud's omnislash with Final Heaven. The chaos warrior fell from the two heroes' blows, presumably dead.

* * *

><p>Hojo-Weiss staggerd from the shot"Impressive."<p>

"Strike Raid!" Sora tossed his keyblade, only for Weiss to sidestep and charge one last time at the brunette Keyblade Master, swinging his sword. Sora dodged and countered with a series of slashes and a thrust from his keyblade.

"Aren't we all getting tired from this little brawl of yours?" sneered a voice. Kuja and Kefka had appeared.

"What are Chaos's goons doing here, anyway?" asked Tidus.

"You guys need any help, Sora?" called Tifa as she and Cloud rushed into the room.

"Perfect timing, so is Sephiroth gone?" asked Luneth.

"As far as we know, he's history" replied Cloud, turning his attention to Weiss, Kuja and Kefka.

The blond Chaos Warrior cackled"Ha, ha, as fun as it would be to toy with you all for a while, fate has other plans for you. The way to the second-to-last Twilight Shard is nearly open, but you will not live to see it."

"What do you mean?" asked Serenia.

Hojo-Weiss scoffed"Sephiroth, was it? He's been long since kaput last I checked."

"Enough" Weiss snapped at Hojo, struggling to drag the mad scientist's consciousness into a deadly pool of Mako beneath the reactor.

Kuja smiled wickedly, pulling out a twilight shard"Let us try out this little gift bestowed upon me and the other Chaos Warriors, shall we? This mysterious artifact builds up the light or darkness in one's heart to the max, presumably. If Sanhille happens to be correct."

"I have a bad feeling about this" whispered Yuna.

Kuja raised the shard"Let us see how Weiss, Omega and Sephiroth react to this."

With that, a blast of dark energy burst from the shard. Weiss was thown into the energy barrier at the far end of the room, Hojo screamed as he was absorbed into the lifestream, Weiss's body seemed to vanish with him. At that moment, the ground began to shake.

"What the heck?" griped Luneth, nearly shaken by the sudden quake.

Kefka sneered"I would love to see what unfolds, but unfortunately I cannot linger."

"Cowards" Sora threw Aeroga at the two Chaos Warriors, who disappeared before the spell could connect.

"Omega's awakening" muttered Vincent.

Sora readied himself"Whatever it is, we can take it. Serenia, Tyler, everyone else, get out of here. I will try to stop Omega."

Vincent stood by him"This is my battle, but I welcome your aid."

"You'll need this" Shelke handed a Proto Materia to the red-and-black clad man.

Tidus and Yuna stood by Sora"Count us in."

Cloud squared his shoulders"Whatever may come, I'm ready."

"I'm with you, too" smiled Tifa.

Luneth addressed the others"Let's get out of here."

"Hey! Do you need a teleportation assist? Something gigantic is already coming from underground" called Cid from Sora's mini-comsphere.

"Appreciate it, thanks" replied Sora, teleporting himself and his friends onto the Ragnarok II.

"Is this a good idea?" asked Tifa.

Cloud shrugged"As long as we can get to Omega."

"No worries, I've got a lock on him. I'll transport you there" piped Cid.

* * *

><p>Watching everything, Caius stood on the deck of Cid Raines' ship, he had escaped as soon as the quake started. Beside him, Arlene scowled"Humph, we shouldn't have trusted slime like that Kuja character, how could he summon needless toys like that robot emerging in the middle of those ruins!?"<p>

Lumaria shook his head as he stood next to her"It's not our problem, we only need to snatch the next Twilight Shard while Sora is occupied. Besides, that was Weiss's intention from the start. Still, Weiss will still get his comeuppance for attempting to betray Yoran."

"I suppose. So what next, Marluxia?" grinned Arlene.

"Stick to the plan, Larxene" hissed the pink-haired man.

* * *

><p>Sora, Cloud, Tifa, Yuna, Tidus and Vincent landed on the top flat platform of a large, dark-colored humanoid. Yuna made a face as she looked at their surroundings. A brownish cocoon stood not far from them.<p>

"What the heck is that?" asked Cloud.

A series of energy crosses appeared and launched at the group. Sora and the others dodged, and charged at it. Another energy cross almost hit Vincent, who dodged and transformed into a large humanoid with his cape intact.

"What is that?" asked Yuna, turning towards Vincent.

"I've seen Vincent like this before, he's transformed into Chaos" responded Cloud.

Chaos-Vincent shot a barrage of bullets at the Omega Cocoon. Tidus pitched in with a Jecht Shot, and Yuna summoned Bahamut to attack with Megaflare. Under the pressure of the group's attack, the cocoon opened to reveal Weiss, who had become part of Omega.

"Too bad this is as far as you go" said a voice as a silver-haired figure on a flying mount appeared. Cloud turned to see the figure flying before them and Omega-Weiss.

Sora glanced at the silver-haired man with the green eyes"Sephiroth?"

"That is Safer Sephiroth, his most powerful incarnation" came Cosmos's voice through Tidus's head.

"Huh?" Sora gasped.

Sephiroth sneered before charging up a tremendous fire-based summon"Supernova!"

Sora cast shell on his allies as fire gradually engulfed them. Tidus countered with a Jecht Shot after suffering minor burns, while Yuna healed her companions. Cloud and Tifa rushed at Safer Sephiroth, who swung his spear-like weapon at the pair. Tifa leapt up and spiraled at downward punch at Sehiroth.

Vincent shot at Weiss, who countered by conjuring a shadow of himself which slashed at the gunman. Vincent barely managed to dodge and shot back at Weiss, who in turn cast a fiery spell at him. Yuna healed Vincent, who shot again at Weiss. Sora joined the fight with a Strike Raid aimed at Weiss's chest.

Cloud and Tifa struggled to keep up as Sephiroth launched spell after spell at the pair. Infuriated, Cloud spun his sword and cast Meteorain on the Chaos Warrior. Tifa followed up with a jump kick at Sephiroth's mount. Sephiroth flew out of the way and slashed at the Martial Artist. Cloud interceded with a Bladebeam. Sephiroth staggered from the blow and prepared another Supernova in retaliation.

Vincent shot again at Weiss, who promptly countered with another fiery spell. Sora launched Strike Raid and Fira at Omega-Weiss, scratching part of the cocoon in the process.

Yuna cast Nulblaze on herself, Tidus, Vincent, Cloud and Tifa before the lengthy summon hit them. Sora threw another Strike Raid, hitting Weiss in the chest. The Immaculate staggered and was about to unleash another fiery attack when Tidus struck with a partial Jecht Shot, knocking Weiss flat onto his back.

Tifa used Somersault on Safer Sephiroth, staggering him long enough for Cloud to get into his stance for performing his strongest attack. The blond readied himself"You're finished, Sephiroth. Omnislash!"

The blond swordsman struck multiple times at Sephiroth, staggering and slashing his nemesis. When the technique was done, Sephiroth felt himself fading away, succumbing to his injuries.

Vincent shot one last time at Weiss, ensuring his death. Turning to Sora, he said"I must destroy Omega's core, get away from here while you can."

"Why? Aren't you coming with us? Weiss was the reason Omega appeared, wasn't it? No, wait, that was Kuja" trailed Sora.

"I should be all right, just go" whispered Vincent.

Sora hesitated"All right, good luck" and signaled Cid to pick him, Tifa, Cloud, Tidus and Yuna up in the Ragnarok II.

As Sora and the four Cosmos warriors boarded Ragnarok II, Vincent shot a hole in the center of the top of Omega and dove for the core. The red and black clad man rushed for the core and shot it.

* * *

><p>Onboard the Ragnarok II, the rest of the group hurried to the bridge just in time to see Omega collapsing. Serenia breathed"That was a monstrous humanoid, kind of like the one I saw in my dream."<p>

"What do you mean?" asked Yuna.

Serenia flushed"Well, before I left the Land of Departure, I had a strange, but somehow real dream. Everyone was fighting strange creatures, now that I think of them, they were probably manifestations of the Twilight Crystal. Father, you were fighting a monstrous armored figure at the end of my dream, I wonder if it was Yoran?"

"Hey, whatever Yoran throws at us, we can take him" grinned Sora.

"He's right" said Yuna.

"Hey, what do you think happened to Vincent?" asked Cid.

"He had to stop Omega by destroying its core" replied Sora.

"He's alive, I can sense it" piped Shelke.

Luneth frowned"Are you sure? Well, I guess everything's okay."

Tifa smiled"Shelke, can you go talk to him and ask if he would care to join us? We really need all the help we can get."

"I will do that" acknowledged the former Tviest.

* * *

><p>In the meantime, Caius had escaped and headed back to Yoran's hideout. Kuja and Kefka followed him. The silver-haired genome smirked"I would not be surprised if the Cosmos army survived, but perhaps they bit the dust this time."<p>

"I wouldn't underestimate them, either. Did you get the shard?" demanded Caius.

Kuja nodded"Just before Omega began to collapse, yes. Sora was far too busy to notice. So I suppose Weiss proved most useful at his last moments. And with Sephiroth gone, that leaves myself and Kefka the last of Chaos's warriors. Raines and his ilk are exempt from his forces."

"Enough of your prattling, I must go now to find the last shard. I sense it may be located beneath Baron, in one of the Cosmos warriors' worlds. I trust you will turn in the shards you retrieved to Yoran" spoke Caius.

* * *

><p>Vincent escaped Omega before it completely collapsed. As he left the ruins of Midgar behind after letting Reeve know Weiss and the Tviests and Deepground were defeated. He didn't expect to run into Shelke, who was approaching him.<p>

"Vincent" said the small brunette.

The gunman replied"What is it?"

"The others would like us to join them on their quest" replied Shelke.

Vincent hesitated"Cloud and Tifa have enough allies at their disposal from what I've seen. But if they insist, perhaps I will consider going with them."

"That is my intention as well. I will go wherever you go, Vincent Valentine. I have not asked what their mission is, but we can offer our assistance if you are willing" said Shelke, calmly.

Vincent nodded, then called Cloud's cell phone. The spikey-haired blond answered"Shelke told you Tifa wanted to ask for your help, then?"

"Yes, in a way. What is our mission?" asked the gunman.

"We're after a man named Yoran, and are in pursuit of the cause of the Twilight Eclipse. It has manifested in more than one world so far. That sounds hard to believe, but we have evidence: The twilight shards we gathered, they seem to be related to the mysterious Twilight Crystal" replied Cloud.

"Hm. I suppose you've aroused my curiosity. I'm in" acknowledged Vincent.

"We'll beam you and Shelke up onto the ship, then. Just try not to be too surprised" said Cloud.

* * *

><p>Sorry I took so long to get a chapter up. Next one takes place in Cecil's homeworld. The One Piece main characters and a few others from their universe will make an appearance in a couple chapters, and maybe some from Golden Sun. I guess I won't be able to get this and my other stories finished until sometime next year. We'll wait and see, though.<p>

Please feel free to review.


	18. Showdown on the Blue Planet

Here's another chapter. I realize some of you may have lost interest because of last chapter or something, sorry about that. I'll try to do better. This one is fairly action-packed.

I'll use *** or maybe even 'bleep' to indicate when a character cusses. There's also more jumping between characters involved.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts were created by Squaresoft. Same goes for Dissidia: Final Fantasy and its prequel: Dissidia 012: Final Fantasy.

* * *

><p>Chapter XVII: Showdown on the Blue Planet<p>

Sora stood ready with Serenia, Tyler, Cloud and Tifa to greet Vincent and Shelke when they met up at the bridge. Luneth and Refia returned to the Pride of Sasune, ready to follow the Ragnarok II.

"Where to, now?" asked Cid.

"I'm getting a little worried about the others... Think they'll make it?" asked Serenia.

Sora smiled"We could always check on things. Cid, can you set us a course to Baron?"

"Who do you think you're talking to? Its not a problem for me. But are you sure you don't want to check on things at Radiant Garden or the Land of Departure?" asked the blond pilot.

"I think they'll be fine, let's head on to Baron" responded Sora.

"All right, let's move it" said Cid, setting the autopilot to Cecil's homeworld.

"Baron? What's that?" asked Shelke.

"It's the biggest kingdom in Cecil's home world" responded Tifa.

The Ragnarok II, followed by the Pride of Sasune, warped into hyperspace and zoomed to the blue planet where Cecil lived. They had not known they were headed for a trap, however.

* * *

><p>"Sora's group must have either obtained or failed to acquire most of the shards before we got them. I have no idea what Sanhille has in mind with the Twilight Shards, but this is most entertaining" remarked Kuja, standing on Raines's ship.<p>

"The trap at Baron is set, I trust?" spoke Caius, materializing in front of the white-haired Chaos Warrior.

Kuja grinned"Of course. All that remains is to seize the last shard, and the ones Cosmos's ilk recovered. What of your mission? We both were sent by Sanhille, unless I am mistaken."

"Indeed, but I'm acting on my own volition. Hardly surprises me for some reason that Lumaria would likely do the same, though I am hardly familiar with that gender-confused assassin. Now enough talk, we have work to do" replied the purple-haired man.

* * *

><p>Sora and the rest of his group eventually arrived at the blue planet. Sora stood ready to go"Do you think Cecil's found something?"<p>

"Won't know until we go see him" replied Tifa.

"Um. Guys, I think I see a big distortion over there" frowned Tyler, who was looking out the window.

"What?" Sora and the others glanced to see a massive, purple and black ship warp out above the blue planet. It's size rivaling the Ragnarok II.

"What the ***?" cursed Cid.

Tifa frowned"Would you mind reframing from cussing in front of Serenia and Tyler?"

Tidus glanced at the black ship"We have bigger problems, this one is probably some more of Yoran's bunch. Is Questa even having any luck finding that guy's lair?"

Cloud shrugged"Chaos's warriors are just very overzealous. Orders don't mean a thing to them."

The large ship fired at them, narrowly hitting the cockpit. Vincent got into the pilot's seat and spoke"I will handle this. Sora, get some of your team down there. I still don't fully understand the situation, but it's very urgent from what I've heard."

"Sora, I'm coming with you. I've just contacted Luneth and let him know what we're up against. Things are really heating up, but I'm up for it" grinned Tidus.

"Same here" piped Yuna.

Serenia and Tyler went over to Sora's side. The red-haired teen smiled"I'm not going to be left out, either."

"The rest of us will stay and draw the enemy's fire" confirmed Cloud.

"I am unfamiliar with these controls, but they are no different from what I've used before" remarked Vincent, who'd just fired a laser to counterattack the black and purple ship.

"I sense the enemy may have more firepower. It is likely this ship will sustain an unacceptable amount of damage" assessed Shelke.

Cid frowned"Who asked you? I a*n't going to die like a dog."

"Sora, get going with your group" urged Tifa.

Sora nodded, and went with his group to the teleportation room.

* * *

><p>"Most of the Cosmos warriors are distracted, so now's our chance" murmured Caius.<p>

Nabaat frowned as she saw a laser scratch the hull of their ship"That pilot's a formidable foe, but so are we. I will go tell Raines to turn up the heat a little on their vessel and use missiles."

"Do as you wish" Caius teleported away from their ship.

Lumaria smirked"It won't be long, now."

"I wouldn't be so sure, Sora's got a habit of always overcoming whatever obstacles we throw in front of him" remarked Arlene.

* * *

><p>Sora's group landed in front of Baron Castle, looking up to see the eclipse still in effect. Serenia addressed the older keyblade master"What's going to happen if we fail?"<p>

"Don't worry, we won't" smiled Sora, heading into the castle.

The group hurried towards the throne room when a guard addressed them"Halt, do you have business here?"

"Yes, is Cecil holding court right now?" asked Sora.

"His majesty is busy at the moment, so be quick about it if you're merely here to speak" replied the guard.

Sora nodded and led his group inside.

* * *

><p>"Ha! They barely scratched us" smirked Cid as Vincent expertly countered the lasers from the enemy ship.<p>

"Not over yet, look!" cried Tifa.

"What?" Cid gasped as the enemy ship launched missiles.

"Oh no they don't" Luneth's group had joined the battle with the Pride of Sasune and shot at the missiles.

Cloud addressed Cid"We may as well try to infilterate that ship and defeat whoever is piloting it. Can you get close?"

"Who do you think you're talking to? Hey, get us as close as we can, Vincent" remarked Cid.

The gunman acknowledged with a nod and drove the Ragnarok II at full throttle towards the enemy ship.

* * *

><p>Sora and his group walked straight to the throne room of Baron Castle. When they got there, they saw Cecil, Ceodore, Kain and a few others having a very important discussion.<p>

"So no new information has turned up aside from the vortex?" asked Cecil.

Kain shook his head"I'm afraid not."

"All we have to go by is the anomaly we found in the Underworld, north of the dwarves' castle" said Ceodore.

Sora approached"Hey, everyone."

The Paladin acknowledged the brunette Keyblade Master"Sora, good to see you again. How did things go with your group?"

Sora shrugged"We got a few Twilight Shards, but Yoran's ilk have gotten some of them as well. So what's the anomaly about?"

The Dragoon spoke"We've been patrolling both the overworld and underworld, here. Strangely enough, Ceodore and I found a yellow-orange vortex in the Underworld. We haven't investigated it yet, I felt it wise to report back before taking further action."

"Should we go to the vortex?" asked Serenia, curious.

"Can't hurt, though we don't know what's there" smiled Sora.

"Ceodore, Kain, you can go with them. Edge, Rydia, would you mind going with Sora's group as well? I must remain here to see to Baron's safety and morale" inquired the Paladin.

Edge smirked"Why not?"

"I'm all for it" piped the green-haired Summoner.

Sora smiled"We'll do what we can, your majesty."

Cecil nodded"Thank you."

* * *

><p>Lumaria shook his head as he saw the Ragnarok II charging at them. Addressing Nabaat, he said"Arlene and I have more pressing matters to attend to. Good luck handling Cosmos's warriors on your own."<p>

"What? Are you betraying me!?" demanded Nabaat.

Lumaria simply opened a dark corridor and traveled through with Arlene.

Nabaat scowled"I'll come after you next once the enemy ship is dealt with."

* * *

><p>Cid and Vincent rammed the Ragnarok II into the dark ship, staggering both ships' occupants.<p>

Cloud headed for the Gummi Ship Hanger once he regained his balance"Tifa, Ventus, I'll need help. We're going to board the enemy ship and destroy it from the inside."

"Going to use Gummi Ships on that thing? Count me in" grinned Ventus.

Cloud's group entered the Ragnarok II's hanger and took a ship each. The smaller ships were armed with lasers and missiles. Ventus addressed Cloud"I'll just use my Keyblade Glider if that's fine."

"Suit yourself" acknowledged Cloud, boarding one of the small ships.

Ventus summoned his armor and Keyblade Glider, heading off ahead of the others. Shelke, Cloud and Tifa followed on the smaller gummi ships.

Ventus zoomed his glider towards the deck of the enemy ship and landed, a brunette soldier drew her sword at the sight of the armored keybearer.

"Just who do you think you are?" snarled Nabaat.

Ventus readied his keyblade"Call me Ven" and charged headfirst. The brunette soldier held her sword in a blocking stance, unprepared for the Strike Raid that Ventus launched at her. Nabaat was thrown backwards.

Irritated, Nabaat got back on her feet and cast a fire spell. Ventus jumped over the fireball and cast Tornado on his opponent.

* * *

><p>Sora's group left Baron Castle via one of the red wings' airships and headed south to Agart. Serenia addressed Ceodore"So what is your world's underworld like?"<p>

"It has a couple small islands and two continents surrounded by magma, unlike the overworld where water surrounds each island and continent" explained the blue-haired prince.

Kain silently guided the Falcon to what looked like a mountain with a hole in the top. The Dragoon piloted the ship down into a brown terrain where magma surrounded the main continent of the Underworld kingdom.

"So where's the anomaly?" asked Sora.

The Dragoon replied"It is north of the Dwarves' castle."

"I hope no one was too freaked out by it, Luca and King Giott won't know what to do" remarked Rydia.

The group landed their ship near a yellow-orange vortex. Sora was astonished as he felt unknown power seeping through it"I think there's a Twilight Shard, there. I'm going in."

"Okay" Serenia nodded.

The group entered to find themselves warped to distorted space with a neon background and a bluish floor. Yuna looked around"For some reason, this sort of reminds of a Paradox where a battle with Manikins was fought."

"Really?" asked Tidus.

Yuna nodded as the group looked around.

* * *

><p>Ventus manage to knock Nabaat out and rushed to a purple structure with a door. Entering, he found several Darkball Heartless inside. The agile Keyblade Wielder rushed forward, slashing his way through and dodging whenever a darkball attempted to bite him.<p>

"Ven!" Tifa and Cloud entered the room and joined the fight. The Darkballs were taken out with little effort.

"Thanks, do you think the bridge is up ahead?" asked Ventus.

Tifa shrugged and looked around, spotting a staircase in the corner"Let's try the stairs over there."

* * *

><p>Raines rubbed his head as he thought for a moment, he'd underestimated Cosmos's warriors more severely than anticipated. Turning when he heard footsteps coming into the bridge, he spoke"I'll tell you this, you fought well. But didn't you suspect a trap?"<p>

"What do you mean?" Cloud brandished his sword.

Raines smirked"While Nabaat was occupied, I set my ship to self-destruct. I doubt your ship will survive the blast."

"What? How long do we have?" asked Tifa.

The brunette man replied"Two minutes,, assuming you get past the Manikins quickly enough. I have no need of the ship, I will wait for you if you survive at Sanhille's lair."

"What do you mean?" asked Ventus.

No sooner had he spoken, several Imaginary Soldier Manikins appeared, while Rains rushed out of the room to retrieve Nabaat and escape. Cloud deflected a blow from one Manikin and slashed at another. Tifa punched and kicked at four other Manikins.

"No time for that, I guess" Ventus cast another Tornado, blowing away the other Manikins. Following the Manikins defeat, the group hurried away from the bridge, rushing as fast as they could back to the deck. When they got there, they saw a small purple ship take off, Ventus could only guess that Raines and Nabaat escaped.

"Quick, let's get out of here" said Cloud, hurrying to a ship he had docked. Tifa boarded hers as well. Ventus summoned his glider and accompanied them back to the Ragnarok II.

Upon reaching the bridge, Cloud addressed Cid"Get us out of here, that enemy ship is going to blow up. Their commander set a trap for us."

"What? sh** Well, let's go" grumbled the blond pilot.

Vincent piloted the ship away as fast as he could, but not before the dark ship exploded, throwing the Ragnarok II backwards.

"Bad news, the logic drives's just been damaged" reported Shelke.

Cid groaned"You've got to be kidding. That means the ship will fall and probably be destroyed."

"I hope Luneth made it away" said Tifa.

"I sense we're falling onto the Blue Planet" said Shelke.

Vincent shrugged"I'll try to land us on an open area so that we don't damage any of the cities that might be down there."

* * *

><p>Spra's group ventured further into the paradox, glancing at the neon surroundings. Serenia gulped and unwittingly grabbed someone's hand, to her surprise it was Ceodore's.<p>

"What's wrong? Are you scared?" asked the Baronian prince.

"A little, I know I shouldn't be" flushed Serenia, letting go.

Sora smiled"Just stay close."

The group continued on until they came to an altar with a orange shard. Sora looked around"That's a shard all right, but I have a feeling we aren't the only ones here."

"Who else is in here?" asked Serenia.

A purple-haired, dark-clad warrior stepped from the shadows. Serenia shakily stood in place, Ceodore drew his sword to ready himself for a fight.

"Caius?" Sora asked.

The dark-clad man replied"Correct, you contradictions are in the way of what will come to pass. Yoran's goal may seem outrageous, but he seems to have the right idea. If you are not even worthy of facing me, you are wasting your time."

Ceodore stepped forward"Serenia, you and Tyler should get out of here. The rest of us will deal with Caius."

"I can fight alongside everyone" replied Serenia, summoning the Oathbreaker.

Caius shook his head, amused"Letting a child do an adult's job? I hardly think that any more wise."

Tyler readied his own keyblade"Serenia is Master Sora's daughter, I am Master Ventus's son. Don't underestimate us."

Ceodore tightened his grip on his sword"Whatever Sanhille's trying to pull, we WILL stop it."

Caius brandished his blade"Prepare to meet your doom. You shall see little mercy from me, contradictions."

"Fira!" "Blizzara!" Tyler and Serenia cast spells at Caius. The purple-haired warrior shrugged off the spells and unleashed a dark flare at Sora. The brunette keybearer dodged and countered with Strike Raid.

Tidus shot at Caius with his Jecht Shot, which the purple and black clad warrior dodged and countered with a slash. Tidus ducked under the blade and jabbed at Caius, who knocked him backwards with a Chain Break Combo.

Yuna rushed over to heal Tidus, while Sora swung his keyblade downward at their foe. Caius blocked the keyblade and jumped backwards, unleashing a Heart of Chaos spell. Ceodore saw the dark energy wave and cast Shell on his allies to ease the impact.

"Fira!" Serenia caught Caius off guard. The man staggered for a moment before countering with Flare. Kain pushed Serenia out of the way and took the blow.

Edge threw a Flood spell at Caius. The evil warrior withstood the water spell and countered by lunging at the Eblan ninja with his sword, stabbing him in the shoulder. Rydia summoned Bahamut, which launched a Megaflare spell at their enemy. Yuna healed Edge while Rydia's summon blasted Caius.

"Had enough?" Sora cast Aeroga at Caius before charging forward with a slash of his keyblade. Caius dodged and stabbed at Sora with his blade, only to be met with a jump attack from Kain.

"Don't think for a moment that I underestimated you" growled Caius, slashing Kain and using a Eye of Bahamut beam attack on Tidus. The blond blitzer dodged and countered with a partial Jecht Shot. Caius avoided the blow and readied a Flare spell, blasting Tidus. Yuna went to heal Tidus while Ceodore and Edge charged at the Guardian of Time. Caius deflected their blades and knocked them backward.

Edge staggered"Man, he's too powerful."

"Don't give up" Rydia summoned Liviathan, which unleashed a Tidal Wave at Caius. Sora followed this by casting Firaga at the purple-haired warrior. Rydia paused to summon Ashura, who cast Protect on the heroes.

Sora ran forward and lunged, attacking with Rising Sun as he slashed at Caius. The dark-clad man irritably transformed into a giant, black and blue version of Bahamut upon withstanding the attack. Sora was astonished"What kind of spell is that?"

"That's Chaos Bahamut. He's not as powerful as Jet Bahamut, but still formidable. I'm not sure you can win this" came Cosmos's voice.

"Cosmos? Are you certain?" asked Kain.

Sora readied himself"I'm not scared of this guy."

Ceodore proceeded to cast reflect on himself and his allies in preparation for the fight. Yuna summoned Bahamut while Rydia summoned Titan.

"You waste your time" said Caus's voice, charging up a Megaflare attack. Ceodore barely had time to cast enough reflect spells before the attack hit. The blast was promptly reflected back on Chaos Bahamut.

"Is that all you got? Thunder!" Sora cast a spell on the large monster. Rydia and Yuna followed with their summons, which barely dented Chaos Bahamut.

"Sora! Ven!" Three more people entered the area: Lightning, Terra and The Warrior of Light.

Chaos Bahamut unleashed Megaflare on the newcomers. Lightning dodged and slashed at Chaos Bahamut with her gunblade. The Warrior of Light leapt up in the air and used Shield of Light on Caius's transformed figure. Chaos Bahamut countered with a claw attack on Quinn, when Terra lunged and jabbed at Chaos Bahamut. The large monster irritably unleashed one final Megaflare, knocking the entire group onto their knees except the ones with Reflect on.

"Party's over, Caius!" smirked Tidus

Caius reverted back into human form, grabbed the shard and said"Call it a draw for now, time itself has an unpleasant surprise. You see how powerless you are to stop the Twilight Eclipse?"

"We'll never give up!" said Sora, determined.

Caius coolly exited through a portal behind the altar with the shard"It doesn't matter what you do."

"You're wrong!" Serenia yelled after him.

Suddenly the ground began to shake. Yuna cried out as she nearly fell, Tidus caught her before she hit the ground.

"If we don't make it out of here, this could turn out horribly" whimpered Serenia.

Kain directed white magic on himself and everyone else present in the paradox"Teleport!"

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Cid and Vincent managed to land the damaged Ragnarok II in the middle of a small desert near Baron. The blond pilot addressed Cloud"So now what? We're stranded."<p>

"The Ragnarok II's badly damaged, which means we won't be able to leave" murmured Tifa.

"Let's get out of this ship, then. We'll have to apologize to Cecil for crash-landing in his kingdom" said Cloud.

"Some of us need to stay here and guard the ship" spoke Vincent.

Cloud nodded"Tifa, Ventus, come with me. Cid, contact Luneth and have him bring replacement parts from Radiant Garden."

"All righty, then" nodded the blond pilot.

Cloud led Tifa and Ventus out onto the small desert and headed east.

* * *

><p>Kain's group made it back to their airship and flew out of the underworld. Ceodore, Sora and Serenia took the time to treat their wounds along with the others using white magic.<p>

"Terra, Lightning, Quinn, thanks for the backup" said Sora.

The Warrior of Light nodded"Cosmos contacted us, she sensed you were headed into a trap."

"We'll regroup at Baron and decide what we must do from there" said Kain.

The group silently flew the airship and landed on the plain. Cloud, Ventus and Tifa were walking when Sora ran over to greet them"Hey, what's up?"

"The Ragnarok II has been damaged" replied Cloud.

Serenia gasped"Oh no."

"Cid is sending in for some replacement parts so we can fix it" said Tifa, reassuringly.

The large group headed to Baron and into the castle. Making their way to the throne room, the group spoke little. Serenia addressed Ceodore"Sorry we couldn't stop Caius."

"That man had tremendous power, no one among us is to blame" interjected Kain.

Ceodore put a sympathetic hand on Serenia's shoulder"We can still probably get the shard back, but first we have to consult with my father."

The group entered the throne room to find Cecil speaking with one of his guards. Kain spoke up"We returned."

"How did it go?" asked Cecil, acknowledging them.

"Not so good, we lost the last shard" replied Tidus.

Cecil sighed"I see, but at least you're all okay. We may have failed, but we could still turn things around."

Tidus smiled"You got that right."

"Indeed, well spoken" Cosmos materialized before them.

Cecil addressed the Goddess of Harmony"Cosmos, are you here to give us our next instructions?"

Cosmos nodded"Yes, but you must first come to the Sanctuary of Harmony."

"The Ragnarok II was badly damaged, we need time to repair it. We left some of our companions to watch the ship" interjected Cloud.

Cosmos shook her head"There is little time, but I will contact your companions still on the ship to let them know. I will open a portal for you, hurry. We have to discuss a new course of action."

Cecil nodded, then turned to his guard"Let Rosa know I'll be gone for a while. Everyone else, come with me."

"Yes, sire" nodded the guard, uncertainly.

* * *

><p>I hope this chapter wasn't too dark. The next ones should be better. Again, sorry if anyone was OOC.<p>

Please feel free to review.


	19. The Forsaken Abyss

Here you go, this is the next chapter.

Disclaimer: All standard disclaimers apply. The Kingdom Hearts series and the Dissidia: Final Fantasy games were created by Squaresoft. Same goes for their respective characters, locations, etc.

* * *

><p>Chapter XVIII: The Forsaken Abyss<p>

Accompanied by Cecil, Ceodore and Kain, the group entered the portal which led to the Sanctuary of Harmony. Serenia and Tyler looked around the Goddess of Harmony's domain in wonder.

"What a amazing place" breathed the red-haired teen.

The Warrior of Light inclined his head"Indeed. I've been to this sacred place many times."

The group headed for Cosmos's throne. The Deity of Harmony herself sat on her throne as her warriors approached. The Warrior of Light addressed her as they approached"Cosmos, we've returned. But unfortunately, the Chaos warriors have the majority of the shards. Caius and the rest of Sanhille's group have almost won."

"I sensed this, Quinn. Caius is a formidable foe, he will not be easily defeated. Goddess Eltro's Chaos Heart grants him much of his power. And with your ships stranded at the Blue Planet, you must now rely on the ability to teleport between worlds" said Cosmos, grimly.

"What must we now do?" asked the Warrior of Light.

Cosmos replied"There may be a power that can dispel the twilight eclipse, even without the Twilight Crystal. Five sacred artifacts lay hidden where most would never suspect of looking. You must now explore a new oceanic world, a flat land fueled by Alchemy, GCS, a secret hotel where many non-humans seek refuge and peace, and even parallel realms within a world."

"Hm. Sounds pretty vague to me" remarked Tidus.

Sora was puzzled"There are several ocean worlds, where would we go?"

"The one I speak of in particular is divided into sectors, one such sector is called by the natives of the world the Grand Line. A group of brave adventurers, similar, yet different from yourselves sail on their ship in search of hidden treasure and in the pursuit of dreams" said Cosmos.

Sora squared his shoulders"Well, I'm all for seeing those new worlds."

"What's GCS?" asked Serenia.

"It is a special world, beyond that, I'm afraid I cannot say. Those worlds in particular were even more isolated than those you may have been to. Gummi Ships cannot reach them, but with teleportation magic, you can access these worlds" replied Cosmos.

"Teleportation?" asked Tyler, hesitant.

"It is a special power Cosmos can bestow upon her warriors, Chaos's warriors can do the same with their god's power. We didn't have it on hand in the twelfth or thirteenth cycles, Cosmos's power maintains the balance in this dimension" spoke the Warrior of Light.

Sora squared his shoulders"We can handle anything, so where should we go first?"

"That's up to you, but you must first enter the Forsaken Abyss. It is a forgotten expanse of the Lanes Between, Gummi Ships cannot pass through its walls, yet it is where the worlds I speak of are" said Cosmos.

"Forsaken Abyss... That sounds interesting, I suppose" shrugged Lightning.

"We can't take everyone, we should decide who will embark. A maximum of eight should be fine. We have enough people to find the artifacts and guard the Sanctuary of Harmony" spoke Quinn.

"I'll go, and I'll take Tidus and Yuna" said Sora.

"Father, may Tyler and I come?" asked Serenia.

Sora thought for a moment"Okay, just stay close."

Kain walked over"Cecil and I will accompany you for whenever Holy power is required."

"You just read my mind, Kain" smiled the Paladin.

Ceodore addressed the other seven active group members"I'd like to come along."

Cecil nodded"Then welcome aboard. Just be careful and do what we ask if needed."

Cosmos spoke"You've chosen your group? Then I shall bestow upon you the ability to traverse the Forsaken Abyss."

Sora and his teammates waited as Cosmos closed her eyes and began channeling her magic power. A yellowish glow surrounded the eight for a moment. As it dissipated, Serenia glanced at herself"I don't feel any different."

"I merely channeled this power to you. This power may cause some strain when you use it, but fear not. It will always be usable if you only use the power once every few minutes. Simply project an image into your mind of your destination" spoke Cosmos.

"So what artifacts are we searching for?" asked Sora.

Cosmos replied, calmly"The Shards of the Dawn Crystal, which can counter that of the Twilight Crystal, are what you must seek."

Sora smiled"No problem. You guys ready?"

"Whenever you are" replied Cecil.

Lightning addressed Cosmos"I cannot just remain here, I must do my part as well."

"Why not join Hope's group at the Land of Departure? They are studying, there with a group from the Akademy" piped Sora.

"I see. I suppose I should reinforce whatever defenses may be left and join him. Terra, I must ask if you'll come" acknowledged the pink-haired warrior.

Terra nodded"It is not problem. Aqua's still there, too. I should check on her."

Cosmos, who'd been listening, spoke"All three groups are decided, then? I wish those of you embarking on your missions luck."

"And if Lightning and I see Caius, we'll slam him down" grinned Terra.

Noel addressed Lightning"Caius was my mentor. I should come along as well, assuming he'll bother to show at the Land of Departure."

"Me too" said Serah.

"All right, let's go. Sora, best of luck" said Lightning.

Sora nodded, then he and his group tapped into the power Cosmos gave them. A glowing light surrounded them and they warped away. The light took Sora's group all the way to a purplish, black dimension with what looked like several large orbs appeared. The closest one showed a vast ocean and blue sky with a small ship, the flag of which had a skull and crossbones with a straw hat painted on it. The ground beneath their feet was a bluish white.

Cecil glanced at it"That must be the ocean world."

Serenia glanced at the rest of the surroundings"This is an eerie space."

"Tell me about it" remarked Tidus.

Tyler studied the closest orb"Looks like we can expect to run into pirates, here."

Rarely having any good experiences with pirates, Sora shrugged"I don't know whether the pirates we meet will be more like Jack Sparrow or Captain Hook, but it is worth checking this new world."

Serenia smiled"Really?"

"Of course. If we run into really nasty pirates, just leave them to me" grinned Sora.

The group trudged across a bluish white pathway leading towards the world. As they got closer, they could see a portal materializing in front of them. Ceodore was taken aback by the sight"Okay, where does this lead?"

"Into this world, I imagine. Let's go" Kain took the lead.

The rest of the group followed, the light from the portal engulfing them. As they walked a short distance, the light slowly faded, and the group found themselves on the deck of a sailing ship. Serenia glanced upward to see the same flag on the central pillar.

"We'd better have our weapons ready, if Firion's experience with the pirate from his world is any indication, we can't be sure if the people on this ship are to be trusted" said Cecil.

A tangerine suddenly splattered onto the back of Tidus's shirt. The blond blitzer turned"Hey, who threw that?"

"How in the **** did you guys get onboard our ship? You'd better not be with the Navy or the Baroque Works Gang!" A young woman with reddish orange hair and a blue outfit stood with a bow staff at the ready.

"Nami Swan, is something wrong?" a blond man in a black tux and a blue shirt with matching black pants addressed the orange-haired girl.

"Hey, what's the commotion over here?" said a green-haired swordsman.

A black-haired young man with a red vest, blue shorts, straw hat and sandals gaped at them. The orange-haired woman addressed the ravan-haired young man"So what now, captain?"

A lavender-haired woman approached next"Are you guys with Baroque works? Hold on, there are children in your party... Even Baroque Works isn't so cowardly to use kids against their wills."

Sora reframed from summoning his keyblade, instead saying"Wait, I'm Sora. This is King Cecil and Prince Ceodore of Baron, Serenia is my daughter and Tyler is the son of Ventus. Kain, here is one of Baron's former Dragoons."

"I'm Yuna, and this is Tidus. We didn't mean to invade your ship" piped the Summoner.

"King? Prince?" Nami gasped at Cecil and Ceodore's titles"I wouldn't be so idiotic as to throw around those titles lightly if I were you."

"I'd have half a mind to dump you all on the nearest island if I were captain, but since I'm not..." trailed the green-haired swordsman.

Cecil stood forward"Hold it, we're only to find a mysterious artifact. As the king of Baron, may I ask we use your ship to travel this ocean world until we find it? I don't expect you to believe me, and I'd be glad to offer compensation if needed. Who's the captain?"

"Me. I am" said the black-haired youth with a grin, as though he hadn't a care in the world.

"Where the H*** is Baron? Never heard of that, I don't even think it exists in the Grand Line, the entire ocean and its islands are governed by the World Government" exclaimed the orange-haired woman.

Sora wasn't sure if they were in trouble now, or if they could manage to talk the wacky-looking pirate group into helping them. The raven-haired man with the straw hat looked clueless, while the green-haired man had a hand on one of his three swords.

The lavender-haired girl spoke"We mean you no real harm, Sora. I am Princess Vivi of Alabasta. The Straw-Hat pirates are really a nice group, but even pirates cannot be too careful."

'Nice? Don't make me laugh' thought the orange-haired woman, though there was some truth in it.

* * *

><p>Yoran watched through the projection crystal in his lair, he knew that Sora survived his encounter with Caius. Arlene and Lumaria lurked near the door in Yoran's chamber and vantage point.<p>

"Sora's really persistent, isn't he?" said Arlene.

"Indeed, yet I cannot seem to track his whereabouts in this crystal, no matter" said Yoran, walking away from it.

"Your orders?" asked Lumaria.

Yoran grimaced"Go ahead and attack Radiant Garden, bring the princess of heart to me. Only she and her child can wield the power in the pendant that Droul stole. I will personally be monitoring Sora's group while they're in this region of the lanes between, as the forsaken abyss is closest to my self-imposed exile. Never mind how I know about Sora's kid."

"Very well" grinned Lumaria.

Caius stood in the corner, conversing with Kuja"You know what to do about the contradictions in the Land of Departure and the Sanctuary of Harmony?"

Kuja nodded"Why, yes. I could put on a show, anytime for those fools."

"Don't underestimate them" warned Caius.

"I wouldn't dream of it" grinned the Chaos Warrior.

* * *

><p>Okay, sorry it took this long for the next chapter. I only hope I didn't make the Straw Hat pirates OOC. Oh, and One Piece was Oda's work. Besides the next five chapters featuring a world not canonically in the Kingdom Hearts universe as far as I am aware, there will be one taking place in Radiant Garden and one in Twilight Town.<p>

As for the worlds Cosmos hinted at in this chapter, you may guess if you'd like. But they'll eventually be revealed. As for Ceodore, I didn't have a way he could help Sora from his home world besides what I had him do last chapter.

Please feel free to review.


	20. Alabasta

Here it is, the next chapter. If I bleep out some words, it is usually a cuss word. Considering Zoro (I wonder why his last name is Zolo in the PlayStation 2 game One Piece: Grand Adventure... I guess Zolo's a bit harder to pronounce) and Sanji's colorful mouths.

While this one-piece segment takes place during the Alabasta arc of the One Piece series, I may not cover everything exactly. Also, there may be some OOCness. This chapter will guest-star Luffy and the other Straw Hat Pirates, minus Franky and Brook, since the Alabasta arc takes place well before Enis Lobby and Thriller Bark. Robin will still make an appearance.

Disclaimer: The Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy and Dissidia:Final Fantasy games were created and copyrighted by Squaresoft. The One Piece series is Oda's work.

* * *

><p>Chapter XIX: Alabasta<p>

Sora glanced at Princess Vivi, not sure what to think of the discovery"I probably shouldn't be too surprised... But why are you here if you're a princess?"

"I was spying on Baroque Works, Crocodile's gang, when they nearly caught me. Luffy and his crew helped me get away, and now we're on our way to warn my people and stop Crocodile" explained the lavender-haired princess.

"Who's Crocodile?" piped Serenia.

"Crocodile is one of the seven warlords of the seas, and is the head of Baroque Works. He's trying to seize Alabasta for himself" said Vivi, grimly.

"Sounds like a bad guy" grimaced Tidus.

Changing the subject, Nami addressed Cecil"So what is this artifact you're talking about? Is it some kind of treasure?"

"Its a shard of a powerful artifact called the Dawn Crystal. But may I ask one more time if you'll let us travel with you on this ship until we find it?" asked the Paladin.

The green-haired swordsman shrugged"I don't give a d*** what you do, I'm leaving it to our captain. And if the marines see you, they will assume you are with us. And you don't want that."

"I'm fine with it, my friends and I won't be here that long. We'll find the artifact and help you kick that Crocodile guy's butt, and if we explain to the Navy in this world, they might understand" said Sora.

"Good luck with that, those hard-heads can't be trusted. They're no better than pirates" said Nami, grimly.

"Still, won't you take us with you for now?" asked Serenia, glancing at Luffy.

Luffy smiled and laughed"Hey, I don't see why not. You guys look awesome!"

Sora smiled"Thanks. You're Luffy, right?"

"Yep" said the Strawhat captain.

"And the rest of you are?" Sora asked.

"My name is Zoro, pleasure" grunted the green-haired swordsman.

The blond man in the tuxedo acknowledged"I'm Sanji, the ship cook. We also have a marksman and a doctor."

"Did I miss something? Hey, Luffy. I was hiding for a while, what about our game of hide-and-seek?" said a black-haired man with a long nose.

"Hey, Usopp, we have new friends" smiled Luffy.

"Oh? Hey!" Usopp spotted Sora's group"Nice to meet you, I'm Usopp, a brave warrior of the seas."

"Interesting group you have there, if I may say so" remarked Cecil, glancing around at the Strawhat crewmembers.

Nami squared her shoulders"Yeah, you can say that about us. Well, maybe you guys can help around the ship, we still have a day we reach Alabasta. Wouldn't do to just let you guys sit around and get bored, would it?"

Serenia smiled"Well, maybe I can help cook. My mom and I used to cook together, occasionally. Tyler, My dad, and I fight using Keyblades, just so you don't get weirded out when you see the three of us in action."

"What the heck is a keyblade?" asked Nami, puzzled.

Serenia summoned forth her keyblade to show her"It is a weapon that's part sword, part key. You could just call it a sword in a way, since it is a weapon."

"A sword that looks like a giant key... Interesting" mussed Zoro.

Sanji looked down as he addressed Serenia"I can cook everyone's food just fine, and I don't have the heart to make a lady to any of the work, even less so if you're... How old are you?"

"I'm thirteen" replied Serenia, dismissing her blade.

"Kain, Sora and I will just keep watch for ships for you, will that be acceptable?" asked Cecil.

"That would be nice" said Nami before Luffy could reply.

"All righty, then. Let's sail on" grinned Luffy.

The group went to their stations, some glancing at the blue sky above as the ship drifted across the sea. Ceodore, Serenia and Tyler mostly stayed out of the crew's way, but Luffy, Usopp and a small reindeer/human hybrid met up with them at the middle of the ship while they were gazing at the sea from the starboard.

"Hey, how's it going?" grinned the long-nosed Sniper.

Serenia glanced at the tiny reindeer, startled"Hey. You're... You're kind of cute..."

"I really didn't want to come meet you guys, wasn't sure what you'd think. I look like a monster to most" said the reindeer, timidly, blushing at Serenia's comment.

'It talked?' thought Serenia, shocked.

Ceodore observed the reindeer, it was nothing like any monster that he'd ever seen"You're don't appear to be like any monster I know of. Can we help you guys?"

"Let's play tag, I'm kinda bored" said Luffy, cheerfully.

"We thought we'd invite you guys" piped Usopp.

Serenia smiled"The exercise will do us good, oh, and how can the little guy talk?"

"I'm Chopper, the ship doctor. I ate the human-human Devil Fruit when I was younger" replied the reindeer.

"What's that?" asked Serenia, curious.

The ship doctor explained"The human-human fruit is one of what is known throughout the world as Devil Fruits. According to what I learned, whoever eats a Devil Fruit gains some kind of power or ability depending on the type, but at the cost of being able to swim."

"How does that work?" inquired Ceodore.

"I don't know, probably because devil fruits have some sort of property that paralyzes whoever ate them whenever they make contact with water" shrugged Chopper"No one really knows everything about them."

"So, basically, the Devil Fruits provides this world's version of magic to whoever eats them, but at the cost of being able to swim. Sounds like an odd price to pay" remarked Ceodore.

"Magic? Other World... What is that?" asked Chopper, confused.

"Magic, as is known on the Blue Planet where my dad, Kain and I hail from, is categorized as either a destructive, healing, or a supporting force generated through concentrative energy. Not everyone in my world uses it, the Mysidian Elder might know more about the subject than me. My companions and are from worlds outside yours" explained Ceodore. Luffy and Usopp gave a blank look, not really understanding.

"Oh, so that's it! Well, devil fruit powers aren't strictly 'magic' as you put it, they could also provide all sorts of physical abilities that you'd never be able to do, normally" said Chopper, thoughtfully.

"Sounds interesting. So, can we get on with our Tag game?" grinned Serenia.

Luffy grinned back"Okay, you're it!"

The six of them played Tag for a good while, laughing happily. The day wore on until it was time for dinner, the group and the rest of their companions headed into the galley. Sanji, the ship Cook had prepared an assortment of meat and veggies.

"Looks delicious" remarked Serenia, accepting a portion of veggies and some fish.

"Thanks" said the blond cook, handing a dish to Nami.

Luffy gorged himself on his food, even stealing bits from the others.

"Forgive me for asking, but don't even pirates have some semblance of manners? My mom wouldn't have had it any other way with me, my manners are pretty decent" said Ceodore, casting Reflect on his food to stop Luffy stealing a bite of his fish.

"Pirates generally don't care" said Nami, taking a bite of her fish"And Luffy's usually like that whenever he and the rest of our friends and I sit down to eat." Said pirate just shrugged and ate the rest of his food, sneaking bites of some of the others' portions of their dinner until Nami bonked him on the head.

"I get that you and the rest of your group are pirates, Nami, yet you remind me of Faris and Leila from Bartz and Firion's worlds. They weren't just typical pirates" commented Cecil around a bite of lettuce.

Nami shrugged"Yeah, well, that's just it. The life of a pirate is almost always a cruel, heartless one. Groups like Luffy's are extremely few and far between, where its members truly care what happens to other people, and to each other."

Vivi ate silently while listening to the conversation, Luffy hadn't bothered trying to steal from her plate. The Alabasta Princess' thoughts dwelt on Alabasta and her people.

"So, where are the rest of you guys from?" Sora addressed Luffy and the other Straw Hat Pirates"I get that Vivi is the princess of the kingdom of Alabasta."

"We're from the East Blue. Except for Chopper, he's from Drum Kingdom, which is well inside the Grand Line" explained Nami.

"Sounds like your world is divided into sectors" said Sora, thoughtfully.

"In a way" shrugged Nami"There's the East Blue, where Luffy, me, Zoro, Sanji and Usopp came from. The Grand Line, which is where we are and is Chopper and Princess Vivi's home sector. I think there's also the North Blue and West Blue. I'm not much for History. Navigation is my thing."

They finished dinner and retired to the cabins for the night. Sora, Kain, Cecil, Ceodore and Tyler slept with Luffy, Sanji, Usopp and Chopper, while Serenia and Yuna slept with Vivi and Nami.

* * *

><p>Hope and Alyssa read some books from the Land of Departure's library before retiring to bed. In her room, Aqua was up doing some paperwork when she heard a knock.<p>

"Yes?" Aqua looked up.

The door opened to reveal Terra, Lightning, Noel and Serah. Terra addressed her"Hey, how are things?"

"Pretty good, I've been organizing the defenses of the Land of Departure. Hope and his group are doing research, here. I'm a little worried about Ven and Tyler" shrugged the bluenette.

Terra smiled reassuringly"I'm sure they'll be fine. Especially with Sora with them. Serenia's nothing to sneeze at either, from what I heard."

"You're right. So, how's everything?" Aqua asked.

"The enemy now has practically all the Twilight Shards, Sora's group went to get the shards of the Dawn Crystal which could counter the effects of the Twilight Eclipse" said Lightning.

"Yoran's more formidable than we realized, huh?" said Aqua, worried.

Terra shrugged"Well, we'll get him, eventually."

"So for now, we're just going to wait and hold our position, here. Aqua, I hope you don't mind us staying to assist" said Lightning.

"Not at all" smiled Aqua.

* * *

><p>The following day found Sora's group and Luffy's crew at the Shores of Alabasta Kingdom. They headed inland, noticing that something was off. And not just drained or shut down water sources and completely dried-up towns that Vivi feared she'd come across upon her return.<p>

"Looks like someone's handiwork if this was supposed to have been a thriving city" remarked Kain as they made their way to the nearest town.

"Crocodile... What gives him that right!?" groaned Vivi"Towns drying up... My people must have been starving and dehydrating, not just from the shortage at Rainbase."

Sanji put a comforting hand on Vivi's shoulder.

Sora glanced around as they walked onward"Hm. Something must be off. Wait, did anyone see that?"

"See what?" Nami frowned in confusion before staring wide-eyed at a black blot in the sky, dark clouds swirling.

"The Twilight Eclipse's influence must have reached here" frowned Kain.

"Look!" Chopper cried out as several Darkball Heartless along with some Soldier and Powerwild Types.

"Where are they...?" Nami trailed off, shocked.

"Leave it to me" Sora whipped out his Keyblade and dove at the swarm of Heartless with a Rising Sun technique, launching Strike Raid at a Soldier Heartless.

The Powerwild Heartless swiped back with their claws, the Soldier Heartless darting away from Sora's keyblade before countering. Sora dodged and struck with a horizontal strike, knocking his opponents down.

A darkball Heartless flung itself at Nami, only to get intercepted by Sanji's upward kick, followed by a Gun Gum Pistol attack from Luffy. Serenia and Tyler rushed to help fight off the Powerwilds. Zoro, Usopp and Chopper fought off three Soldier Heartless that dared approach.

Sora used Rising Sun to decimate most of the rest of the attacking Heartless, while Serenia, Tyler, Zoro, Sanji, Luffy and Nami assisted in disposing the rest.

"That was close" remarked Tidus.

"You guys can really fight, that was awesome" Sora said to Luffy and his crew.

"Thanks. I'm not much of a fighter, but this baby comes in handy" said Nami, referring to her Climatact.

Sora glanced around"Still, the Heartless were kind of unexpected. Someone else's darkness must have drawn them here."

Serenia frowned"Do you think its this 'Crocodile' guy?"

"Could be" said Sora, walking ahead.

"Hold on, what are Heartless?" asked Nami.

"The creatures we fought, just now. They are drawn to the darkness within everyone's hearts. And if anyone yields to the darkness in their hearts, they too end up becoming one" shrugged Sora.

Chopper and Usopp shuddered"Sounds scary."

Nami frowned"Sounds otherworldly. Come to think of it..."

"Yeah, my group's from other worlds. Baron, which is the name of Cecil's kingdom, is from one such other world. I know it sounds strange" said Sora.

"Well, that would explain it" said Nami.

The group carried on, the desert kingdom was strangely quiet. Sora grimaced"You'd think that..."

"Luffy? Is that you?" A man with dark hair, shorts and a cowboy hat met up with the group.

Luffy grinned at the newcomer"Ace!"

Ace grinned back"How you doing, bro? Looks like you got quite a group of friends, here."

Sora greeted Ace"I'm Sora. Have you seen something called the Dawn Crystal Shard?"

"Nah. In fact, I'm here looking for someone, calls himself Blackbeard" shrugged Ace.

"Well, would you like to come with us? We're on our way towards Alabasta. We could look there, together. Oh, and I'm Tidus" said the blond swordsman.

"Hey, Luffy. You know him?" Nami interjected.

Luffy nodded"Yep. Ace is my brother."

"Really? He doesn't act like you" remarked the orange-haired girl.

Ace shrugged"Well, I'm a pretty laid-back person, myself. And yeah, I think I'll tag along for a bit. They call me Fire Fist Ace, I was looking around this region when I ran into some spooky ball-like creatures and fought them off."

"Sounds like the Heartless are causing problems, let's go" said Sora.

The group and their new addition walked on ahead until they came to Alabasta's capital city. Soldiers, gang members and Heartless were in an all-out brawl. Vivi paled"Its worse than I thought."

"This world's history might be perverted worse than I expected" Sora rushed to attack a nearby Heartless. The others followed, fighting off more Heartless on the way. A man with green hair and a woman with dark were single-handedly fighting off a bunch of Soldier Heartless.

"The marines are here, too? Sorry guys, I gotta go" said Ace, about to take off. However, a bunch of Dusks intercepted. Sora fought his way past the dusks and rushed to help the two marines fight off the soldier heartless. Ace, Sanji and Zoro fought off the remaining Dusks, albeit with some difficulty.

The Green-haired Marine had burst into smoke and took out some of the Soldier Heartless before returning to normal. His partner was wearing down, due to the lack of a Devil Fruit Power. Sora quickly helped her by fighting off the Soldier Heartless attacking them.

"Thanks, but who are you, civilian?" The woman addressed him.

"Tashigi, there's no time" the green-haired Marine interrupted, a large Darkball Heartless accosted them. Sora bashed it away before addressing Tashigi"I'm Sora."

"Lt. Tashigi" Tashigi introduced herself curtly before rushing in to help cut down the darkball.

The green-haired marine grunted at Sora"I am Smoker, a Navy Captain. You wouldn't happen to have seen Strawhat would you?"

"Looking for Luffy? Well, sorry, haven't seen him" Sora lied, not wanting to get in trouble for being associated with pirates.

"Sora" Vivi approached the three"Luffy's gone after Crocodile, a Baroque Works agent said something about him being in the Tomb of Kings beneath the city before being knocked out."

"Crocodile? Hm. Never liked the Seven Warlords of the Seas" grunted Smoker.

"Looks like most of Baroque Works have been knocked out by the monsters" said Vivi, glancing around.

"Incoming!" Tashigi cried, seeing Darkball, Soldier and Elemental Heartless. Some Dusks accompanied them.

Sora groaned"There's no time. Luffy could be in trouble."

"Sorry, but if Luffy's that reckless, he may not listen to anyone if they tell him to be careful" said Ace, approaching"We'll take care of the monsters. You go help Luffy, Sora."

"Okay" said Sora"Vivi, which way is the tomb?"

"To the west of here" replied Vivi.

"We're with you, Sora" piped Tidus, he and Yuna stood by him.

"Okay, let's go" Sora, Tidus and Yuna took off in the direction of the Tomb of Kings. Several Baroque Works Thugs spotted them and tried to get in the way, but the three easily fought past them.

Zoro, Serenia, Tyler and the rest of the remaining group stayed back to help defeat the Heartless and Nobodies attacking Alabasta. Serenia addressed Cecil"Think my dad and Luffy will be okay?"

"Sora should be okay" replied Cecil, tackling a nearby Soldier Heartless.

Smoker and Tashigi were disgruntled at the idea of fighting alongside pirates and total strangers, but they had a city to protect.

* * *

><p>Sora, Tidus and Yuna made their way to what appeared to be an underground series of chambers. The three fought past some Baroque Works thugs and headed to a large chamber to see Luffy fighting against some Soldier Heartless. Sora cut through the Heartless with a tornado technique.<p>

"Thanks, Sora" Luffy grinned, seeing them.

"No problem. So, this Crocodile guy is here, right?" said Sora.

"Yep" said the strawhat captain.

"Then let's go get him" said Tidus, cockily.

The group of four proceeded deeper until they came to a chamber with a stone tablet of some kind. A man with black hair, a green coat over his outfit and a gold hook in place of one hand stood near a woman with short, black hair.

"Doesn't say anything about the Pluton..." mussed the woman.

The man seemed displeased"So you lied?"

Sora approached the two"Which one of you is Crocodile?"

The man grinned and turned, laughing at the pathetic sight of the group"Why, its me. Crocodile, a Warlord of the Seas."

"I'm gonna beat you!" Luffy declared to Crocodile.

Crocodile laughed. The woman winced as she heard him, at the same time wondering about the lack of a reply shortly after. Sora gasped, a dark aura was emitting from the man'The Heartless have already started to consume his heart.'

"You? Beat me?" Crocodile growled"Fools. I am a Warlord of the seas, I trained and mastered my powers." As he spoke, dark power emitted from his own Sand Devil Fruit Powers.

The woman paled and backed away, slowly. Tidus ran to the front of her"You okay, miss?"

"Yeah. But I've never seen him like this" replied the short-haired girl.

Sora readied himself"You're going down."

Crocodile sent forth a whirlwind of sand and darted forward, swinging. Sora and Luffy barely dodged, the latter countering with a Gum Gum Gatling combo. Crocodile easily avoided it by turning into sand, then clawing with his hook. Luffy narrowly avoided and shot forth a strong punch. Crocodile retaliated with another whirlwind of sand before letting dark power burst at his opponents.

"He's been turned into a Heartless" said Tidus, grimly.

"A Heartless?" The woman was confused.

"We'll explain later" said Tidus, darting forward with a Spiral Cut attack on Crocodile. The man froze in place from the watery blade's impact, giving Luffy enough leeway to attack with a Gum Gum Scythe technique. Crocodile was thrown backwards, but recovered and lashed out with an implosion of sand. Sora, Tidus and Yuna all avoided, but Luffy dashed right at the other Devil Fruit User.

Tidus addressed the woman"Hey, have you seen a Dawn Crystal Shard?"

"Dawn Crystal Shard... You mean this?" The woman reached into her bag and pulled out a yellowish crystal"It was inside this chamber with that monument, which Crocodile believed had information about the pluton. I didn't mention it to Crocodile, because it seemed unimportant to his goals."

Tidus could tell she was confused, but explained"Oh, that must be it. Sora and I didn't know what it looked like, either. Name's Tidus, by the way. What's yours?"

"My name is Nico Robin... My alias is Miss Sunday" explained the woman"But now isn't the time to talk. Look!"

Crocodile had lunged at Tidus and swung with his hook arm, smashing into both Tidus and Robin. Sora cast Blizzaga on Crocodile, freezing him. Luffy threw Crocodile into the air with a Gum Gum Scythe and a series of powerful punches. Yuna went to heal Tidus and the woman, while Luffy had jumped upwards and was punching rapidly at Crocodile, causing him to be popped through the roof, above.

"Too easy, huh?" said Tidus.

Just then, the room began to shake.

"Whoa, better get out of here" remarked Sora.

Yuna summoned Bahamut and got on its back, signaling Luffy, Tidus, Robin and Sora to join her. At Yuna's instruction, Valefor flew as fast as it could before the chamber collapsed.

Above, Crocodile appeared to be unconscious. Sora and his group landed near him. Yuna silently thanked Bahamut by patting him before dismissing the Aeon. Nearby, the Heartless and Nobodies were nearly wiped out.

"Sora, Luffy, thank goodness" Nami met up with them, battle-worn.

"Yeah, it was too easy. Everything okay?" Sora asked.

Nami shrugged"Yeah. The two Marine Officials left to arrest the Baroque Works agents, while the rest of us put a stop to the remaining monsters with the help of both the Rebels and the loyalists. A fight apparently broke out, but then they formed a truce to defend Alabasta against the monsters."

Tashigi approached, walking towards Crocodile's inert body"Now that's over. Captain Smoker instructed me that Sir Crocodile is to be hereby stripped of his rights and privileges as Warlord of the Seas. Sora, Strawhat, thank you for your assistance."

"No problem. Where's Ace?" asked Luffy.

"He said something about having unfinished business elsewhere and left, not too long after helping to fight off the initial wave of monsters" said Nami.

Vivi joined them"Not a moment too soon, I warned my people and my father about Crocodile's treachery. Alabasta should once again be at peace."

Tidus showed Sora the Dawn Crystal Shard, he had managed to hold on to it"Sora, I have the crystal shard. Apparently, Robin, here found it first."

"So that's what it looks like" said Sora, astonished.

Tidus grinned, addressing Vivi"Well, Sora and the rest of my group have to leave, soon."

"You're all leaving?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah, there are other worlds waiting. I need to find the rest of the Dawn Crystal Shards, my friends and I are after a guy called Yoran" explained Sora.

"Yoran? Who's that?" asked Nami.

"An ancient Keyblade Master. Apparently, he's bad news" grimaced Tidus.

Tashigi frowned"What's all that about?"

"Never mind, we need to get going" Sora, Serenia, Tyler, Tidus, Yuna, Kain and Cecil regrouped and headed to the center of town to get ready to teleport.

Luffy piped up"Wait, can't you take us with you? We could sure help you."

"Sorry, but if we take you to another world, we'd just be meddling. Maybe we'll come back, sometime" smiled Sora.

"Sounds good, but Luffy, the rest of our crew and I will be on our own journey. You could maybe find our ship though, it has a mainsail with a strawhat-wearing skull and crossbone on it" said Nami.

"We'll keep that in mind" said Sora, grinning.

Sora's group channeled their energy and vanished in a ball of light, transporting away from the Grand Line.

* * *

><p>Finally, I got this chapter ready. Sorry if the fight scenes were a bit rushed, but I figured Crocodile would be a pushover to Sora, Tidus and Yuna. I could I always go back and edit this chapter if I have to. I also know I really deviated from canon, but apparently, One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2 doesn't use a canon storyline.<p>

I did try to make this somewhat action-packed, and it would've dragged out the story if I followed canon every step of the way.

Two more OCs will pop up next chapter. The OCs in question aren't mine, I borrowed them from Infinitestories.

Please feel free to review.


	21. Weyard-Land of Sealed Achemy

Here's the next chapter. There's a plot twist coming up, with the upcoming OCs having a major role for the rest of the fic. Guest Starring Isaac and Felix's parties from the Golden Sun series.

Disclaimer: Dissidia: Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts and the Final Fantasy Series were created by Square Enix. Camelot was involved in the development of Golden Sun.

* * *

><p>Weyard-Land of Sealed Alchemy<p>

Sora dispensed more of his magic power to move his group towards another world. A large, flat-shaped world came into view along their trek through the Forsaken Abyss. Serenia was amazed"What kind of world is that?"

"Let's find out" Sora and the others directed the ball of light's power to drop them off in front of what appeared to be a large tower with a purplish hue. The group was amazed at the sight.

"Whoa, what is this place?" Serenia wondered.

The group ventured towards the building. The red-haired teen was astonished"Its incredible."

As they got closer, Yuna felt a surge of foreign energy emitting from the tower"I feel some kind of strange power emitting from this place."

"You think?" Tidus asked.

"Well, we won't find out anything if we stand here" said Sora, leading the way inside the tower. When they got inside, however, they had noticed the door was already opened and someone else was already inside.

A young teen with short spikey-brown hair, blue eyes, a pair of shorts and a shirt similar to Ventus', minus the sleeves and a similar pair of shoes was looking around the place. He even sported a Mark of Mastery emblem like what Terra, Aqua and Ventus have. If Sora and Tyler didn't know better, they would've thought he was Ventus. As the Teen was about to go further, he spotted the group"Okay... Either I'm seeing things, or you guys should be in your worlds."

Sora's group turned to address the teen.

"You're one to talk, we're here for real" remarked Tidus.

"We're here on an important mission. I am Cecil, King of Baron" said the Paladin.

"I'm Sora, what's your name?" asked the older Keybearer.

The teen shrugged"I know most of you guys by reputation, I'm Taios. And in case you're wondering which world this is, we're in Weyard. A pretty big world which has the four elemental lighthouses. You're not the only ones here on an important mission... But... I have a feeling we could work together on this."

Yuna smiled warmly"Pleased to meet you, Taios. So, these 'elemental lighthouses' are connected to some form of magic. That explains the strange power I felt."

"Would you like to come with us, then?" Sora asked.

The younger brunette squared his shoulders"Frankly, I don't have a choice, Sora. I need all the help I can get if I am gonna prevent my Nobody from killing us all."

Sora and his group were puzzled"What?"

Taios shrugged again"Long story short, in another universe, I tried to merge with Vanitas to alter history and paid the price for it... by becoming a powerful Heartless. I... don't want to talk about it."

"Well, let's go, then" smiled Sora, leading the way deeper into Jupiter Lighthouse. Taios and the others followed.

As they headed further in, Serenia curiously asked"Who's your Nobody, Taios?"

Taios paused"Saxito... he was once a member of organization XIII... until one of xehanorts vessels named mirath forced the power of chaos into his girlfriend's body and heart... which he had no other choice but to fight the person he loved... since then... he's been mercilessly killing heroes and villains alike... just to get to the original Xehanort..."

Tidus was confused"Xehanort's dead, doesn't he know that?"

"Most Nobodies wouldn't care, unlike certain ones I know. We'll deal with Saxito if we find him" said Sora, confidently.

Sora and the group continued on to the second floor where a group of dusks materialized to accost the group.

Taios nearly tensed as he used Light and Darkness to summon his Keyblade: The Horizon's Eclipse. Taios ran, grabbed Sora's arm and combined powers to unleash the teen's power of darkness and Sora's power of light at the Dusks. Only a few Dusks were left from the blast, but were quickly mopped up by Serenia, Cecil, Kain and Yuna.

Sora was impressed"Awesome, but why do you have Dark Power, Taios? A friend of mine can use it as well, but he's had to conquer his darkness to use it without danger."

"I was inspired by Cecil. his heart is literally a conduit of light and dark. so, I used a similar method which allowed me to use the powers of darkness without being corrupted" explained Taios.

"I see. That was very impressive" remarked Cecil.

As they continued upwards, Tyler addressed Taios"So... If those Dusks were here, that Saxito guy can't be too far, right? I heard from Xion that Organization XIII commanded the lesser Nobodies."

Taios nodded"Yeah... Most likely. Word of warning, though: He screws with your head, like Sephiroth is with Cloud... But ten times worse. He knows all your... weak points and will use them to his advantage. Though Serenia, Tyler, you two are the wildcards, you'll be fine."

They continued their way up until they came upon the top floor. Other people were evidently in the tower, as the heard a male voice"I am just saying we should return to Contigo."

"You're right, we're in no shape to fight" said the voice of a female red-headed teen.

Nine people: Most of whom looked to be in their late teens while one appeared to be an old man, came into view.

"We have company" mussed the man with dark-brown hair, green cloak over his traveling clothes as he turned to see the group. A blond swordsman and the rest of their companions turned to see Sora, Taios and the rest of their group.

Taios shyly addressed the nine strangers"Uh... Hi. We heard noises up here. What's going on?"

"Why should we answer when we don't know who you are or how you came in?" said the dark-haired Adept, suspiciously.

"I'm Sora... My friends and I are from far away" introduced the older brunette keybearer.

"Even if we told you, I doubt you would believe us. Name's Tidus, by the way" grinned Tidus.

"I am Yuna" the Summoner curtsied.

"I'm Taios. And this is Serenia, Cecil, Kain, Ceodore and Tyler" introduced the teenage brunette.

The old man acknowledged"Ah. Well, its a pleasure too meet all of you, but I am curious as to how you got this far without the aid of a Jupiter Adept. Unless, perchance, you are Adepts, yourselves? I am Kraden, a humble scholar."

"In a way, you could say we are. but it could take some time to explain, and so far, I can tell you guys are tired at the moment, so i'll keep it short. we're actually looking for someone, and was hoping that he was here. he looks almost like me, but with different features" described Taios.

Jenna had noticed Taios' similarities to another young man and gasped"No wonder you look so familiar. he was with Alex..."

Taios sighed"...oh that's just peachy"

Isaac spoke up"We're headed for Contigo Village, we should continue this discussion there. What do you say, Felix? Can we talk there?"

Felix nodded"Yes. I'm done running from you, Isaac."

"It is decided, then. Sora, would you and Taios care to come along?" Isaac asked.

Sora nodded"Sure."

As Felix and Isaac's group went ahead, Kain addressed the Teenage brunette"you seem to know much about the denizens of this world, Taios..."

"that's because my world see's you guys as stories" elaborated Taios.

Serenia was puzzled"You mean we were considered legends in your world?"

Cecil shrugged"I don't think that's what Taios meant, there's no mention of Weyard in Kain's, Ceodore's and my homeworld."

"Well, what i actually mean is that my homeworld sees many worlds as entertainment through simulations on machines of computers. but slightly smaller and has more processing power, and allows you to actually understand the feelings of people... like for example, Cecil... I know what happened during the Zeromus incident. or like how Sora and Riku killed off Xemnas" explained Taios.

"It sounds like your world has some amazing things, Taios. I've never heard of such a thing in my world" said Yuna, amazed.

Tidus was also impressed"Even Zanarkand didn't have anything like that."

"Each world must have its own properties, then" said Kain, thoughtfully.

As the group continued their way out of Jupiter Lighthouse, Taios continued speaking about his homeworld"Yeah... It kinda does... But the one thing it doesn't have is actual magic. no eidolons, espers, or aeons... and just no keyblades. nothing but animals and sometimes greedy and abusive people..."

"Sounds like you've had it rough, there. Still, it must have its good points, right?" chirped Serenia.

"My homeworld, the Destiny Islands is much the same... Practically nothing that involves magic in any way. Its a small island with a town not far away from it. Still, being at the beach was pretty fun, especially with Riku and Kairi" said Sora.

Taios nodded"well, it does have some good qualities. Like birthdays, football and Christmas. My homeworld, earth... It's has a lot of beautiful architecture, multiple cities and towns. Lots of islands and cultures... Hell, I'd say it's almost similar to your world Cecil. Minus the crystals and magic."

"That sounds nice" remarked the Paladin.

As they got to the small village of Contigo, Sora's group started for the inn, while Taios headed further into the village.

"Where are you going?" Kain asked.

"Gonna bet my munny In the casino tent. Won't be long" replied Taios.

"Very well" said Kain as he and the rest of Sora's group headed to the inn.

As they went inside, they noticed a teen that looked similar to taios, but has slightly longer hair, silver eyes. He the Organization 13 coat with the zipper opened, showing a grey t-shirt. He was paying the female innkeeper for some packaged food and drink.

Tyler gasped"Is that... Taios's Nobody?"

Sora whispered just lout enough for Serenia and Tyler to hear"Judging from that coat and his similar appearance, there can't be any doubt. It'll just cause a commotion if we try to take him out, here. We'll just see what he does, first. Oddly enough though, I've never seen any of Organization XIII's members with their coats unzipped."

"So its merely a coincidence?" speculated the Holy Dragoon.

Sora shrugged"Who can say?"

The black-coated teen addressed the innkeeper"Oh, I almost forgot. I'd like to pay for the drinks for those people other there. Minus the guy with that funny sword, and that lady with the staff." He had pointed to everyone of Sora's group.

The Innkeeper nodded, but was confused"Um... may i ask why?"

"Because I don't like them. The lady is a doormat, and the guy is annoying as heck" said the mystery teen, flatly.

Tidus almost shouted"I heard that!"

"Just play it cool" said Sora, watching the teen.

Kain watched the teen with the black coat.

The black-coated teen paid for the food and drink before meeting up with Sora's group at the nearest table"I hope you guys enjoy the drinks. Well... most of you anyways. but more to the point: I know what you guys are after... and I know the location of the next shard. I don't care if you do or don't trust me. I just care that you guys continue to do your jobs. Oh and before you guys say anything, it's ironic to think that i don't have feelings, when clearly I "feel" hungry. think about it." He had an amused smirk.

Sora was astonished"How do you know what we're here for? And... thanks for the drinks."

The Dark-coated teen smirked"No problem, and to answer your question, it's kind of obvious. Because i've been watching you all from the sidelines. And I gotta say. The villains are so pretentious and stupid... but sometimes you heroes are ironically stupid as well... like how the people of Spira were."

"I'm sure we'll manage just fine. Besides, what do you even know about the Dawn Crystal Shards?" Sora asked.

Tidus and Yuna went to buy their own food. The former glared at the Teen in the black coat for a brief moment. Kain shrugged and took one more sip of his drink, waiting for the right moment to go warn Taios.

Serenia pretended to sip while absentmindedly keeping an eye on the shady teen. Not that she could sense any malice from the Nobody.

"I know enough about the dawn crystal itself that it isn't funny... But what you guys don't know is what's going to happen when you complete your mission. But I'll let you guys enjoy your search. The shard is in the last elemental lighthouse past the village of the frozen north: Prox. Enjoy your meal, guys. You'll need your strength for what's to come" said the Nobody, getting up to leave and walking out with a calm expression.

Serenia paled"W-what did he mean by we don't know what might happen...?"

"He probably just said that to throw us off. Let's go find Taios after we're done with our meal. We'll make for Prox after that. Next time that guy shows up, I won't waste anymore words with him" shrugged Sora.

Kain nodded"agreed."

After they finished their meal, Sora and the rest of the group went to find Taios and saw him walking up the hill.

"Hey, Taios" Sora greeted.

Serenia piped up"We got a little information for you."

Cecil had been busy getting some information from the villagers and met up with the group shortly after. He and Ceodore had split from the group while the others were at the inn. At around the same time, Taios addressed Sora"And what would that be?"

"We found your Nobody, and he's been messing with us" said Tidus, still irked by the Nobody's words.

"What did he say?" asked Taios.

"Said he knew so much about the Dawn Crystal that it isn't funny. Not to mention what might happen if we find all the shards. He was at inn, though he left" explained Sora.

"We found a crystal shard at Alabasta. Its a long story, but we believe it can dispel the effects of the Twilight Crystal" said Serenia.

Taios was silent for a moment"From what you're saying, it sounds like Saxito is planning something. I can kind of guess what the Twilight Crystal does, but I want to hear from your point of view."

"The details are cryptic at best, but the magic it generates causes a Twilight Eclipse. I can't know if its a good thing or a bad thing, but the Twilight Eclipse grants great power. But those with extreme darkness in their hearts are said to be affected the most" Sora explained.

"The way that Cosmos, the Goddess of Harmony spoke of it, its extremely dangerous if the power was to be abused by evil. It is unnatural" Kain added.

Taios let out a small gasp"I think I know what he's planning to do... And since he's gonna use it to find where the real Xehanort is... And before you guys ask me the question of how Xehanort is still alive... He was never really dead... He's trapped within the deepest part of the void where the wizard Euno lives. At least the one in my universe."

Sora was puzzled"We defeated Xehanort's Lingering Spirit at Castle Oblivion... But this other universe sounds complex. In any case, we can't let the Xehanort from Taios's universe return. Yoran can wait, we'll have to stop Saxito."

"But without the Dawn Crystal, how can we dispel the Twilight Eclipse?" asked Serenia, her face pale.

"We probably should stop looking for the shards... But if Saxito is after them, anyway..." Sora trailed off.

"Well, if Xehanort returns, you can just beat him again, right Sora?" piped Tidus.

Sora shrugged"Probably, but Xehanort's not stupid. He'll probably come up with some other scheme to finish his plan."

"Well, from what I know, the old man is waiting in darkness for the 7 lights and 13 darknesses for the ultimate keyblade" said Taios.

Sora squared his shoulders"Well, I guess we'll just keep looking for the Dawn Crystal Shards and keep them out of Saxito's hands. Whatever Yoran's trying to do, we'll need to figure it out and stop him before he causes an apocalypse. We can add stopping Saxito and Xehanort to the list."

Taios was curious"Yoran?"

"Long story" said Tyler.

"We can explain on the way. We know the next shard is at the lighthouse to the north of Prox" said Sora.

Taios shrugged"Problem, we can't go there cause a huge thick glacier is blocking the path. The only way to break it is that we need to join Felix and Isaac's party.

"Let's go find them, then" said Sora.

Taios led the way to a hut on the hilltop. Felix and Isaac's groups had just arrived, the blond Venus Adept acknowledging both Felix and Sora"Thanks for joining with us, guys. And for keeping your promise, Felix."

A male Mars Adept in Isaac's group grunted"Well, now let's see what Felix has to say for himself."

"What can I say? Have I ever fought against you?" remarked Felix.

"Uh, no problem. So what's this about?" asked Sora, curious.

"Well" Taios started"Felix and his team have been igniting the lighthouses for one purpose: To keep this world from shrinking anymore than it has."

Kraden was shocked"Excuse me, but how do you know about this?"

Taios shrugged as he replied"Well, we're not from Weyard. My group and I come from different worlds. In my case, my homeworld sees other world as a form of entertainment."

Jenna was amazed"So... You've seen what we've done?"

"Well, me, personally... Yes. Everything to the death of Saturos and Menardi at Venus Lighthouse until now. If you read my mind, you'd understand my point of view" replied Taios.

The male Jupiter Adept, Ivan, shrugged"I would... prefer not to use my mind read anymore than strictly necessary."

Sheba, the female blond adept squared her shoulders"I suppose I'll do it then."

As the female Jupiter Adept used her mind read on Taios, she had a look of amazement on her face for a moment. Then a look of sadness as though she'd seen the death of a loved one, then horror as she backed away"So you suffered a lot... because of that."

"What did you see?" asked the female Mars Adept.

Sheba shivered"At first... I saw some of the memories of Taios' homeworld... Amazing technological advances... even the weapons that Sora and some of the others are carrying... a Keyblade... next, I saw that taios had to... fight his own sister."

Serenia let out a gasp"That sounds horrible."

"Would you want to talk about having to kill your sibling? She was about to kill my friends" said Taios, grimly.

"No one would, I can only imagine..." Jenna trailed off.

"Sorry to hear about your sister, Taios" said Sora, sympathetically.

"Its all right... What matters is we on track... But yeah. This world is slowly dying" said Taios.

"Because the lighthouses aren't lit?" said Mia, scared.

Felix nodded"Exactly."

Garet shrugged"But if all four are lit, the world could be destroyed, anyway."

"What a choice we now face... Either wait for the world to end, or wind up accidentally triggering it ourselves" mussed Isaac.

"Well, I'm all four saving this world" piped Sora.

Cecil nodded"Sora's right, I would rather regret something I have done, rather than regret taking no action."

"Yep. And since three lighthouses are lit-"

"Shouldn't you all be going?" came a female voice as another female blond entered the hut.

"I was about to say what's going on, Hama" said Taios with a sigh.

"Well, too bad I beat you to the bunch" responded Hama.

Isaac addressed the female newcomer"Have you met Taios before, Master Hama?"

Hama nodded"We spoke before Sora's group arrived. Three lighthouses have been lit, and the world is thrown out of balance. If the Mars Lighthouse is not lit, Weyard would freeze before long."

The group, except Taios, was shocked.

"We've got to go now!" exclaimed Garet.

Hama's expression was grim"I do not think it wise... There are two powerful forces who do not wish the lighthouse ignited."

"Who are the two forces? We know about Saxito, so we can handle him. What's this other force we need to worry about?" inquired Sora.

"I do not know" Hama shook her head"But be warned, Saxito is more dangerous than anything you faced in the past, Sora."

Felix was determined"Regardless, we have to save Weyard. Karst and Agatio stole the Mars Star from me, so we'll have to find them before we can light the lighthouse. We'll just have to be extra careful."

"That means, we'll have to go to Prox. According to Taios, there's a thick ice glacier blocking the way" said Sora.

"Can't we just destroy the glacier with our keyblades or melt it with magic?" inquired Serenia.

Sora thought for a moment before replying"Probably not. Magic can be unpredictable, and there are things even a keyblade can't cut through. Felix, will you let us go with you all the way?"

"Piers' ship will be cramped with the lot of you with us, but fine" grunted the brunette Venus Adept.

"No problem for me, I can sleep almost anywhere" piped Taios.

"Then it is settled" said Isaac.

"We'd best leave for Prox at once" said Kraden.

As the group, minus Hama, left, Isaac walked up to Taios"Hey, Taios. Since you know what's going to happen, I'm not sure whether my father is still alive."

"That's because no one died, yet" said Taios.

"So, Isaac's dad and Felix and Jenna's parents are alive then?" Asked Garet.

"Yep" Taios nodded"The Proxians are kind of holding them, there."

"... We could've helped, you know" said Ivan.

Felix shook his head"But you guys weren't strong enough. And you wouldn't have dared to violate Vale's teachings."

Tidus shrugged"I can think of a certain phony religion back on my homeworld that could relate to that. So what happens if we ignite Mars Lighthouse?"

The Paladin hesitated"I don't claim to know. But based on what we know about this world, there must be some kind of sealed power that's supposed to keep this world from deteriorating."

"Well, you would be right about that assumption" said Kraden.

The group soon came to a sleek vessel docked only a short distance from the continent where Jupiter Lighthouse was. Sora gasped"Wow! That's amazing."

"Yep. That's the Lemurian Ship" said Taios.

"Its beautiful" breathed Serenia.

"Ah, thanks" said Piers, who is the captain of the Lemurian ship. The group climbed aboard the magnificent vessel.

Taios gestured towards the wings attached to the ship"Just so you know, we'll need to use Psynergy and our magic to fly this baby. See the wings?"

"Yeah, I see them" said Sora.

"Ivan and I will use Hover to levitate the ship" said Sheba.

"You sure? I mean, that's a lot of Psynergy" said Taios, concerned.

"Well, if any of you can help, that would be appreciated" said Ivan, thoughtfully.

Ceodore thought for a moment"Will Float help? I mean, I know it won't work on anything too big, but still..."

Tidus was getting impatient"well, lets try it, already."

"I'll pitch in too. I might know the float spell too. but I'm a bit rusty" said Taios.

Ivan and Sheba used their Hover Psynergy while Ceodore and Taios cast Float. Felix took the helm and they started their journey towards Prox.

* * *

><p>Well, this chapter was getting a little long. I'll continue the Golden Sun scenario in the next chapter. Saxito and Taios are Infinitestories's OCs, by the way. Thanks Infinitestories for letting me borrow them.<p>

I know there wasn't much action, but there will be more next chapter. Until then, please feel free to review.


	22. Mars Lighthouse

This next chapter is up and ready.

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy and their respective characters, locations, etc. belong to Square. Golden Sun was created by Camelot.

* * *

><p>Mars Lighthouse<p>

As they flew the ship above the sea, the Paladin, Cecil addressed the younger brunette Keybearer"How do you propose we get past the thick sheet of ice blocking our way to Prox?"

Taios thought for a moment"Either we go find the canon and Magma Ball... Or I could use a dangerous spell that Bahamut uses."

"What's that?" asked Tyler, nervously.

"Mega Flare" replied Taios.

Jenna was curious"How dangerous is Mega Flare? And what is Bahamut?"

Yuna spoke up after a moment's silence"Bahamut is an Aeon. Aeons, or Eidolons as they are called in Cecil's world, are beings of great power. Bahamut's mega flare is so powerful that it would not only destroy the ice wall, but any nearby towns and the ship might be affected."

"Finding the canon would be the safest option in this case" said Kraden, thoughtfully.

"The canon is easy to find, its at the village of loho. The magma ball... Not so much. Its ironically in a place called Magma Rock" supplied Taios.

Isaac's eyes widened in realization"Of course, why didn't I see this before?"

Felix turned his attention from the helm"Where is Magma Rock, Taios?"

"Its near Kimbobo. if we fly over the land in the western part of it, we'll reach said dungeon" said Taios.

"Then let's go find the Magma Ball, first" said Felix, changing course in the direction of Kimbobo. They flew the ship until they came to what was said to be the hottest cave in Weyard.

As the group entered, Taios breathed"They weren't exaggerating when they said its near molten rock."

"Yeah, its unbelievably hot" said Sora.

"So, the Magma Ball is somewhere in here" mussed the Paladin.

Felix shrugged as he lead the way deeper inside Magma Rock. As they went, several elemental heartless appeared. Sora summoned his keyblade to deflect a fireball"Wasn't expecting to see Heartless, here."

"Don't let a few monsters throw you, though I've never seen creatures like this" said Felix, slashing at one of the heartless.

"We'll tell you about the Heartless after we get our prize" said Taios, drawing his keyblade.

The group blasted through with their weapons and magic, keeping their eyes out for more monsters. As soon as they reached the core, they found Saxito. The nobody grinned"Hello, idiots. Miss me?"

"You!" Sora readied his keyblade.

"Ah-ah-ah... not another step" grinned Saxito, holding his keyblade to a stone tablet"wouldn't want the tablet to get destroyed, that's the only thing you need to get the Magma Ball. Though I would commend the Adepts... Fascinating race. They left all this for the people to discover, but they've squandered it. The people of Vale, Lemuria as well as the anemosians have known about this fake world for centuries... and really what have they done with it?"

Taios was confused"What do you mean, 'fake world'?"

Saxito stifled laughter"You really don't know? ... Wow, for a Somebody, you are dumber than I remember."

"How dare you call Weyard Fake" growled Jenna.

"We have nothing more to discuss with you, Saxito" said Yuna, getting out her stave. Tidus readied a blitzball.

Saxito shrugged"I suppose there isn't. Oh, well. But wait, I still hold the cards, figuratively and literally."

With that, the Nobody pulled out a card with a Nobody Sigil and a pair of Axel's chakrams. He threw it on the ground, causing a mist of nothingness to form into a shadowy version of the Flurry of Dancing Flames: Axel. The Axel look-alike assumed a battle stance.

"Like it? it's an absent silhouette of axel when he was in Castle Oblivion... Though i made some... Slight adjustments. Chao" said Saxito with a twisted smirk, disappearing into a dark corridor.

"Get back here!" Taios tried to give chase, only for the Axel-look-alike to block his path"Dang it."

Serenia turned to address Sora"Um... That's not really Lea, is not?"

"Axel was Lea's Nobody. He's capable of fire-based attacks, mostly. Not exactly a pushover. This looks like Axel, but it isn't really him. Axel destroyed himself when he helped me fight off some lesser Nobodies on my way to save Kairi from Xemnas" explained Sora, readying himself to confront Illusionary Axel.

"So this monster's elemental type is fire, then. Piers' and my Water Psynergy should work well against it. Fire Adepts on the other hand would be far less effective against fire-based enemies, but Fire Adepts could also resist fire-based attacks to an extent" said Mia, thoughtfully.

"Piers, Jenna, Mia and I will take point in the fight with you and Taios, Sora" said Felix, readying his blade.

Sora nodded"Right."

"I'll try to guard you from his attacks" said Taios.

"BURN, BABY!" snarled Axel? Sending flaming chakrams at the group, prompting them to dodge.

"Blizara!" cried Taios, using magic to douse Axel?'s flame temporarily. Axel? darted forward and swiped with his ckakrams, only for Taios and backflip away from it. Felix and Piers darted forward, driving Axel? backwards. Mia used her Supercool psynergy attack on Axel and Sora cast Blizara, while Jenna stood by to heal when needed.

Then out of nowhere, Taios activated the Diamond Dust command style and attacked Axel? with a horizontal slash, followed by Strike Raid.

Succumbing to his injuries, Axel? gasped"Gah... That's all for that..." and collapsed, fading into nothingness. In his place, what looked like the Bond of Flames keychain was on the ground.

"So much for him" said Sora, putting the Kingdom Key away and going to pick up the item.

Felix glanced at Taios"Impressive."

"To me, its how you use your skills and powers that matter" shrugged Takos.

Sora shrugged as he looked at the Bond of Flame"Well, now we don't have the tablet. Still, this looks like another version of a keychain I've gotten before."

"So now what? I don't see how else we can get the Magma Ball" shrugged Garet.

"No telling where Saxito went, either" muttered Tidus.

Taios thought for a moment, then addressed Sora"Hey, can I see this for a sec?"

"Sure" replied Sora, handing the Bond of Flame to Taios.

Taios held the Bond of Flame, noticing darkness emitting from the keychain. Focusing his energy, Taios absorbed the darkness, causing the Tablet to appear in a flash of light as the Bond of Flame vanished. Feeling wiped from using the darkness to undo the illusion, Taios gasped"Whew... That was... a lot to handle."

"You all right, Taios?" asked Tidus. Felix silently offered Taios an elixir.

"Didn't expect that, but not we can get the magma ball" shrugged Sora.

"Yup... but man... that darkness is different than the ones that I usually absorb" said Taios as he drank the elixir, starting to feel a bit better from it.

Ceodore was puzzled"what do you mean?"

"Remember what I said about my heart being a conduit? well, that's the thing. in order for me to use darkness, I have to absorb it" explained Taios.

"So basically, you have to absorb darkness to use it. Does it wear you down each time? As a Dark Knight, I was able to unleash a wave of darkness from my sword, but it drained my stamina somewhat each time, as I am sure you know" said Cecil, curious.

Sora shrugged"At least we got the tablet."

Taios handed Felix the tablet so that he could get the Magma Ball before addressing Cecil"Not every time... But when I absorb darkness that's poisonous or foreign, it hurts me."

"Well, I'm glad you're all right" beamed Sora.

"We should head for Ioho now, if you're feeling better, Taios" grunted Felix.

Taios squared his shoulders"I'll be fine... I just need to sit down in the ship for a bit."

The group returned to the ship to get ready to head for Ioho. Taios had gone to the ship's cabin to rest. Meanwhile, Yuna found a note near the helm and took it, frowning slightly at the contents, which read:

'Dear Idiots,  
>I already have the dawn shard. if you don't hurry and get that cannon fast enough, I might leave this world with the mars star that I stole from Agaito and Karst, and cast it down Gaia falls. Good luck with your timing. You guys are completely hopeless.<p>

love, Saxito.

PS: Yuna, you should've known from the start Seymour was obviously evil to begin with.'

Yuna was slightly annoyed by Saxito's message"Looks like we're one step behind. And how was I supposed to know that Seymour was just so... nasty!?"

Sheba was curious"Who's Seymour?"

"He's bad news, I never really liked him from the start. Don't let it get to you, Yuna. Saxito's probably just trying to tick us off" shrugged Tidus, though he was feeling a bit irked, himself.

"We'll just have to hurry to the canon, for now" muttered Isaac.

Felix steered the ship for a while longer until he spoke"We're almost at Ioho, now. One of us should check on Taios."

"I'm fine, now. Thanks for being concerned" said Taios, walking out from the cabin.

"That Saxito guy left us a note. Said he stole the Mars Star from Karst and Agaito and snagged the shard, first" said Tidus, glancing at Taios.

"Its great you're okay, Taios" grinned Sora.

Taios nodded"Yeah. Though I'd like to see that note."

Tidus handed the note to Taios, who spoke after a minute of reading"... Alright... Even though we have to stop him... to an extent... He does have a point, Yuna... Seymour has evil looking head veins and hilariously dumb hair antlers, and not once did you think of him as evil?" He sighed after that outburst"Sorry, had to vent."

"Its okay" smiled Yuna"I can't believe myself that I actually looked up to Seymour once, I didn't realize there was anything wrong until I learned he killed his own father and that was after I accepted his proposal. But what's past is past."

Tidus shrugged"I don't feel like talking about him either."

The group arrived at Ioho village and docked.

"I'll stay here. When you enter the village, the cannon is in plain sight" said Taios, standing near the helm.

"Got it" Sora, Jenna, Felix, Isaac and Kraden disembarked and headed into the village. As soon as they entered, they saw a canon.

"So that's what it looks like" remarked Sora"I've seen those in another world, but didn't picture this."

Felix shrugged"well, then. Lets see how effective the cannon is." The brunette Venus Adept put the magma ball into the canon. After a moment of charging, the cannon fired at the ice wall, destroying it effortlessly.

Sora was astonished"That was... amazig."

"Now we can get to Prox" said Isaac.

They got back to the ship after taking the time to stock up on supplies. With the glacier wall destroyed, the group was able to sail further north, which gradually got colder the further they went.

Serenia shuddered"Man, its freezing, here."

I wasn't expecting this either. You might want to wait In the cabin, your mother would let me have it if I let you catch cold" Sora responded.

Serenia nodded, then went into the cabin with Tyler and Ceodore to keep warm. Taios stood there in silence, as though pondering a complex dilemma.

"Hey, Taios. Something up? You've been pretty quiet" said Garet.

Taios shook his head to clear his thoughts"You get the feeling that you have something important to tell, but can't?"

Ivan frowned"It's the future, isn't it?"

Taios nodded"Yeah... As much as I want to tell you guys who we're up against at the mars lighthouse aerie... I'm kinda conflicted... knowledge of the future could be extremely dangerous..."

"Well, forcing you to talk isn't any better" said Yuna, thoughtfully.

"We'll probably find out one way or another" said the female Fire Adept.

The group docked a short way from Prox and entered the snow-riddled village. As they walked further in, they came across a group of soldiers and what looked to be the Proxian Elder standing at the village's edge.

One of them, Puelle, argued"We can't wait for agaito's men any longer... if we do, the wind and snow would make it most difficult to reach the lighthouse... I'm going on my own... no one should waste their lives.."

One soldier protested"Puelle... you can't go on your own."

"If something were to happen to you, what would become of this village?" said one of his colleagues.

"Please! let US go in your stead" pleaded a third.

Puelle was aghast"how can you accomplish what agaito and karst couldn't?"

Another soldier looked agitated as he said"They may be more powerful than us, but we can't just stand by and let the world die!"

"They aren't coming back, just like Saturos... you have to at least let us try!" the soldier pleaded.

The elder shook his head"I cannot allow that!"

Puelle firmly addressed the soldiers"listen to your elder... he speaks wisely."

"I'm speaking to you too, Puelle. If Agaito and Karst couldn't accomplish the task, how can you possibly accomplish it yourself?" said the Elder, concerned.

"What are you saying? if we stand to debate this, then our village is doomed for certain!" retorted the younger Proxian.

The elder's expression was sullen"We have sacrificed too many lives..."

Puelle thought for a moment"Then we will have to wait for some sort of miracle..."

As Sora, Felix and Isaac's groups came upon the scene, the Proxian Elder beamed as he caught sight of the brunette Venus Adept"Felix! You returned, and grown stronger by the looks of it!"

"Yeah" grunted Felix.

Sora was surprised"You know these guys, Felix?"

"Yes. This man is the Elder of Prox. Two of his warriors, Saturos and Menardi saved me and my parents, three years ago" acknowledged Felix.

"And ironically, Isaac and his crew had no other choice but to fight and kill them at the Venus lighthouse... was there a guy who looks almost like me, but different?" piped Taios.

Puelle shrugged"I believe so... he was with Agaito... though I didn't trust him..."

"We only wanted to stop Saturos and Menardi because they'd stolen Vale's sacred treasure, we didn't think they'd fight us to the death. They flung themselves into the opening of Venus Lighthouse's beacon" elaborated Isaac.

The Elder sighed"I am sad to hear Saturos and Menardi lost their lives in their quest, but there was no avoiding it."

Puelle nodded"What happened cannot be undone, we should cooperate to find a way to save Weyard."

"We understand that Karst and Agatio made for Mars Lighthouse and have not yet returned" said Kraden.

The blond Venus Adept shrugged"It sounds as though Mars Lighthouse is as dangerous as the rest."

"Well, we can't stand and do nothing" said Sora.

"Then let's go" said Ceodore.

"The world isn't gonna wait to save itself. No looking back. No regrets" said Taios, determined.

Sora, Felix and Isaac led their groups into the lighthouse, which looked more like an icy building than a lighthouse of fire. Sora and Felix kept an eye out for any trace of Karst, Agatio and Saxito.

Not far inside, however, the rogue Nobody was seen heading into the basement.

"There he is!" cried Tidus, drawing his sword.

The group chased Saxito down into the basement while avoiding balls of fire. They made it to the bottom-most basement where it looked like an engine room, but with two frozen dragons in a block of ice, and Saxito sitting on top of it.

Taios' Nobody addressed them with an amused smirk"Precisely on schedule. You know, you may be pathetic wastes of existences, with Yuna always being a doormat and Tidus being the whining man child who wants to have sex with his dead dad."

It took all of Tidus' willpower not to lash out in anger. Taios spoke calmly"What do you even want, Saxito?"

Saxito looked up at the ceiling with a power-hungry look before speaking"What I always wanted. Let me ask you a question, Sora. In your experiences what has Xehanort craved?"

Sora gave it a bit of thought"Well, I heard that his Heartless and his Nobody were after something called Kingdom Hearts. Taios mentioned something about him balancing light and darkness, not sure whether that's a good or bad thing entirely."

"If he won't tell us what he's after, I'd say we smack him around" snorted Tidus.

"Or better yet..." Sheba attempted to use her Mind Read ability on Saxito, only to encounter an intense mental barrier and winced.

Saxito sighed"You do realize I can easily block off intrusion of telepaths, right? Anyways, I can't just simply tell you my plan, right? Besides, if you were to actually fight me, I'd destroy the only thing that you guys are after." He held out the Dawn Crystal Shard and made it vanish into darkness"So, really. You don't have a choice to fight me... at least not yet."

Ivan squared his shoulders"I don't need to mind read to see that you are not bluffing. Non-Adepts can't resist my or Sheba's Mind Read ability at all."

"We're done listening to your taunting. Besides, you're outnumbered. Heck, I bet you're more bark than bite" remarked Sora with a grin.

Tidus readied the Brotherhood again"Time for you to take a hike, Saxito. And leave the Dawn Shard and Mars Star while you're at it."

"Tidus, do not antagonize him. We've no idea what he wants of us right at the moment" warned the Holy Dragoon.

Saxito let out another amused smirk as he paced around the group"You should listen to Kain, Tidus. Besides... I know what makes you all tick. Your strengths, your flaws... your weaknesses... how to get you pissed... everything." With that, he disappeared in dark confetti, static could be heard as Tidus felt a twinge of pain as couldn't move and collapsed

"Tidus!" Sora, Yuna and Cecil cried.

Saxito appeared above them in dark confetti static"I even know how to disable your powers and prevent you from moving. Oh by the way, Sora. I don't need to kill you when I know the two things that will get you to do as I say. The dawn shards, and the person you love most." He finished with a sadistic smirk.

"What are you- Oh no" gasped Sora.

"What is it?" asked Isaac.

Sora paled"He's probably talking about Kairi."

"Is this Kairi your girlfriend?" said Sheba, curious.

"Long story" said Sora, trying to keep his cool.

"I AM talking about her, you lovable idiot. and unless you want her dead, I'd suggest you'd do your jobs smart and efficiently. But either way, I still win weather or not she lives or dies" said Saxito with a smirk.

Yuna was horrified"You-... you monster..."

Saxito smirked mockingly"Aww, is someone getting butthurt? Well, too bad. I'm sorry that life and death aren't fair. but then again, since when is it EVER fair to begin with?"

Cecil drew his sword"We'll stop you. one way or another."

Saxito scoffed"This coming from the Maenad puppet? Yeah... as if you even could... But since I am in a good mood, I'll give ya the mars star, if you'll fight these dragons behind me. Deal?"

"Fine by us, you dishonorable cur" growled Ivan.

"Ah, well. To quote Hades: We can't all be heroes" grinned Saxito, throwing dark and ice Confetti Knives at the frozen dragons, breaking the ice. The Nobody vanished, leaving the group to deal with the dragons.

Sora shrugged and readied his keyblade"Shouldn't be too hard. These guys are vulnerable to water and ice."

"You, Kain, Cecil, Yuna and Tidus take one dragon down while Jenna, Mia and I take the other" said Felix, slashing at one of the fire dragons and barely dodging a fire breath.  
>Sora cast Blizzaga on the other dragon while Yuna healed Tidus with Esuna and summoned Shiva to attack the dragons with her ice magic.<p>

But as they fought the dragons, Taios noticed that something wasn't right with them... They weren't really being effected by water and ice attacks. In fact, almost nothing seemed to be effecting them at all. They retaliated with a meteor blast they both fired from their mouths as power of a tainted dark aura started to come out. Yuna, Jenna and Mia contained the damage their group took with healing magic.

Taios gasped"Of course. guys! I need some cover! I'm gonna absorb their dark aura! Remove the weakness and we got a chance!"

"Got it" said Sora, attacking one of the dragons with Blizzaga. Kain and Ceodore used their Cross Slash Prime attack on both dragons to slow them down.

Taios started to focus his hand on said dragons. Darkness literally started to come out and was being absorbed into Taios, himself. Causing the duo to feel slightly weaker"ngh... Guys, now!"

Tidus hit one of the dragons with Blitz Ace, which is followed by a Supercool from Piers. Mia and Felix tackled the other dragon with sword and psynergy, respectively. Yuna blasted the dragons simultaneously with Shiva's Diamond Dust. Cecil followed up with Radiant Wave attack on one dragon while Sora finished the 'monsters' off with Rising Sun.

As the two dragons fell, they slowly started to disappear, revealing the dying forms of a Proxian man and woman. Felix was shocked as he recognized them"Karst... Agatio..."

Agatio gasped"Why... Why am I lying here? Wait, I think I remember. We were going to light the lighthouse."

"But that backstabbing Saxito took it, and then... no, that's all I remember. Aside from getting lost up here, trying to find the aerie" breathed Karst.

Felix walked up to the two Proxia Adepts"Agatio? Karst?"

"Felix, is that you?" gasped Agatio.

Felix nodded, still not believing what he just saw.

Sora was puzzled"So the dragons were really Karst and Agatio. But how...? I mean, The dragons weren't heartless, and they definitely weren't Nobodies."

"I know who did this to them... Isaac, Felix, if you don't believe me fine... it doesn't change anything... It was the Wise One" said Taios, grimly.

Yuna and Cecil felt a twinge of sympathy for Karst and Agatio for a moment. Isaac, however, was confused"The Wise One? Why would he do that?"

Jenna shrugged"I don't believe it."

"Felix, you must finish this quest... Recover the Mars Star from Saxito and light the lighthouse before its too late" requested Karst.

Felix nodded"Saxito promised to hand it back. We'll see Mars Lighthouse illuminated."

Agatio smiled slightly"Thank you... When Karst and I see the beacon, we'll know we haven't died in vain."

As soon as Karst and Agatio slowly began to close their eyes, Saxito appeared on the left side of the room, his back on the wall. He slowly began to clap his hands as he started walking towards them"bravo, you guys. Bravo. Though, it's not like I didn't expect them to live, anyways."

Ceodore confronted the Nobody"Get to the point, Saxito. what aren't you telling us! what are you planning?!"

Saxito sighed"And why would I tell you guys at all? when this fake world is degrading?"

"Weyard isn't fake! we've lived here for centuries!" exclaimed Piers, indignantly.

Saxito shrugged"Can you prove that it isn't? Let me ask you all a question. Do you really know what's at the bottom of Gaia Falls?"

"We don't claim to know" replied Felix, curtly.

"What's at the bottom of Gaia Falls is actually the true world. The sealing of Alchemy is simply turning off the continental switch of a huge as hell machine" said Saxito with a smirk.

Sora raised an eyebrow"So Weyard's just a floating continent? I don't get it."

Felix shrugged"Its still our home. Innocent lives will perish if Weyard collapses from Alchemy's absence."

Saxito sighed as he pulled out the Mars Star and tossed it to Felix"Stubborn as always, aren't cha kid? A deal is a deal. Go nuts and save your trash pile."

"That's got to be the worst joke ever" muttered Taios. Felix wordlessly put the Mars Star in his bag.

Saxito smirked with amusement"well, at least i can still manipulate you guys to do whatever the hell i want. And it's working."

"Go to hell!" said Tidus, having enough of the Nobody's attitude.

Saxito kept his smirk on"An ironic indictment, considering Taios and I are the same person. Good luck with dealing with the Wise One. I'm sure your ignorant and petty beliefs of worshiping him would go oh so well."

It was then, Saxito left. Taios had a depressed look on his face and hung his head. Serenia glanced at him"What's wrong?"

Taios replied, hesitantly"It's my fault... all of it... that behavior he displayed... to some extent I felt the same way... I despised Tidus for being so annoying and dumb, that I didn't like Yuna either... I mocked Cecil when the Maenads indoctrinated him to be their puppet... and to be honest... I actually wanted to see Sora pissed off that Kairi wasn't doing anything to save herself... I guess becoming a heartless reflected my true feelings towards you guys..."

Sora shrugged"Well, hey, don't beat yourself up over it."

"Everyone has misgivings about something, I cannot fault you for that" said the Paladin, gently.

Tidus smiled"Yeah, no way you could've seen it coming."

Taios let out a sigh"Yeah, I guess your right... I don't feel a bit better... but at least I know one thing...I have friends like you all that can help me through to the bitter end."

Sora smiled for a moment"That's what friends are for. Well, Saxito has the Dawn Crystal Shard, so we're pretty much done. Except for Felix's quest."

"I take it you're leaving, Sora?" said Felix.

Sora shrugged"Well, my group and I interfered too much, already. Besides, Saxito interfered with your world's affairs, first. We'll help you save Weyard."

Felix smiled"Thank you. The top of the lighthouse may not be far, now. Let's go."

"Besides, I always liked this place. No way I'd back off from helping my childhood heroes" beamed Taios.

The group left the basement and headed to the upper floors of Mars Lighthouse. Eventually, they came to the aerie, where they needed to place the Mars Star. As they neared, a voice spoke"Betrayers... And Otherworlders... You arrived!"

"Huh?" Sora gasped.

"Who said that?" said Garet, just as surprised.

The female Mercury Adept frowned"I heard it, too. But the wind's too strong, I can't see anything."

"Felix, hurry and insert the Mars Star before anything has the chance to stop us" urged Sora.

But as Felix started to move, the winds moved him backwards, preventing him from getting close enough to the hole.

"So, you're still determined to light the beacon?" The deep voice spoke again.

"Show yourself, Wise One!" cried Taios.

What looked like a floating rock with a singular organic eye appeared"You know who I am, then, Keybearer?"

Sora was astonished"That's the Wise One?"

"Is it, or should I say he, your deity, Felix?" said Cecil.

Felix nodded"The Wise One is the Protector of Weyard."

"Why have you come to light the beacon?" asked the Wise One.

Tidus shrugged"Why do you think? We have to save Weyard."

"Weyard may be doomed once the forbidden power of Alchemy is unleashed, regardless" said the Wise One.

Taios proceeded to confront the floating being"Ok, let me stop you right there. You do realize that if nothings done, Weyard is gonna die anyways, so move aside so we can save it. How can you justify killing billions over Alchemy being shut off? How can you allow Weyard to crash into the true world?"

"You know too much" responded the Wise One.

Kraden attempted to appeal to the Wise One"Its your duty to protect Weyard, Wise One! If Weyard is destroyed, you fail us all!"

"If Alchemy is unleashed, mankind may well destroy all Weyard itself" said the Wise One, grimly.

"But if we combine our power, we could ensure Alchemy not be used for evil" the old Scholar insisted.

"It is inevitable. In time, one man will seek to rule all. Perhaps sooner than you think" replied the godlike being.

Isaac raised an eyebrow"What are you talking about?"

"The Water Adept climbing Mt. Aleph, is he not a friend of yours?" asked the Wise One.

Jenna paled"Alex!"

"Regardless, we have no choice" said Taios.

Garet grunted"Hmph, we should let the wise one deal with Alex."

The Wise One closed its eye"I cannot interfere with the actions of man."

Taios gave an amused smile"Then do the smart thing and move aside."

Isaac addressed the brunette Venus Adept"Felix, hurry and throw the Mars Star into the well!"

But before Felix could move, The Wise One paralyzed him for a moment.

Piers was shocked and confused"Wise One, didn't you just say you're not allowed to interfere with our actions?"

"That is correct, I cannot stop you. But what if... A miracle were to occur? One that prevented you from igniting the beacon?" said the Wise One, coolly.

Sora hesitated"What kind of miracle?"

"If you can defeat a miracle, only then may you ignite the lighthouse" responded the Wise One.

Kraden tensed"The Wise One is up to something! Be wary everyone! we don't know what he is capable of!"

The Wise One disappeared as a three-headed dragon appeared and stomped towards them. Taios swore"*$%it! The doom dragon! ... still... The future of weyard of depending on us! for Prox, lumuria... and for all the unborn children of future generations!" he summoned his Guardian warrior and Star Keeper keyblades.

Garet scoffed"What is he thinking? We already beat a two-headed dragon. How much tougher can this one possibly be?"

Kraden hesitated"But wasn't that two-headed dragon actually... Then this one is... Wait! Taios, Felix, don't fight it!"

"Its too late, we can't get away from it, now" said Garet.

Sora readied his kingdom key for battle, attacking the Doom Dragon with Strike Raid. Felix and Isaac attacked with their blades, barely managing to minimize damage from the dragon's assault. Tidus struck one of the Dragon's heads with Blitz Ace and attacked all three of them with his Slice and Dice technique. Yuna summoned Bahamut to aid the group.

"Kain! give me and Sora a boost up!" called Taios.

Taios then grabbed Sora's arm, while Kain grabbed Taios and did a dragoon jump, high in the air. Then in the air, Taios threw Sora at the doom dragon as light and darkness filled sora's blade, resulting with him descending with tremendous force on the beast. The dragon reared back in pain and counterattacked with Cruel Rain, which Yuna and Jenna healed. Bahamut staggered the dragon with Megaflare, while Ceodore and Cecil attacked with a joint Vibra Plus combo.

Taios landed on the ground and put his fist near his chest resulting a trinity limit circle to commence. Taios, Sora and Tyler cried out"Light!" which invoked a ball of holy magic to slam into the Doom Dragon. The monster was severely weakened and attacked with a stronger Cruel Rain attack.

"All right, tough guy. Its lights out for you" said Sora, using Curaga to heal his allies before attacking the Doom Dragon with a Ragnarok Combo. Tidus attacked the three-headed dragon with blitz ace, followed by Oddessy and Liquifer from Isaac and Garet.

Eventually, the Doom Dragon writhed and its body collapsed. As the body vanished, the 'heads' reverted into the now-dying forms of two men and a woman.

"Huh? What the..." Sora had again been taken off guard.

Taios: looked away in slight sadness"Isaac... Jenna... I'm sorry..."

"Huh?" Isaac had also been surprised.

Jenna paled"... No... you... you knew didn't you?!"

"If I told you guys... would you have believed me in the first place?" responded Taios.

Isaac shook his head"There may not have been any other way, regardless if you told us and we believed you or not. I knew what I was doing when I drew my sword. Garet, Mia, Felix, Jenna, Ivan and I defied the Wise One."

Yuna dismissed Bahamut and spoke"Hold on. Tidus, use a Phoenix down on the woman, I'll try and use Curaga on the men."

But after a few minutes when Tidus used the Phoenix Down on Felix's mother and Yuna cast Curaga on Isaac and Felix's fathers, the dying Adepts' conditions remained unchanged.

Taios sighed"It's not gonna work... the people of Prox can heal them after the beacon is ignited... but as soon as it is. we have to leave."

Sora shrugged"Well, this is it for Felix's quest, then."

"There's still time to save Weyard, guys" piped Felix.

Mia nodded"Even though igniting the beacon may create wars and strife, I regret none of this."

After taking another sad look at his parents' dying bodies, Felix took the Mars Star out and threw it into the well to ignite the lighthouse. Suddenly, the lighthouse started to break apart as a golden ball of light came out of its stay, while the lighthouse slowly went back to normal.

Taios glanced at his allies"Guys, we have to grab them and leave now! Now that all four have been lit, the golden sun will show up. We have to leave. like now!"

Cecil thought quickly"I'll carry one of the men. Kain, Felix, can you carry the other two?"

They took Isaac, Jenna and Felix' parents and raced out of the lighthouse. The lighthouse began to glow with a golden color fired a beam of light that felt like raw magic itself. As soon as they arrived in Prox, the snow storm was completely gone.

Shortly after they'd taken Isaac, Jenna and Felix's parents to rest at a nearby house, the Elder greeted the group"Thank you all, you saved Prox from being devoured by Gaia Falls."

Isaac nodded"We're just happy to have helped save Weyard."

"It was our pleasure. Sora, we have you and your companions to thank as well" acknowledged Felix.

Sora grinned"Oh, It was no problem."

Taios nodded"We were happy to help the best we could."

The Proxian Elder spoke"You're leaving already?"

Taios nodded"Yeah, their journey isn't over yet. Sora, I'm going with you guys."

Tyler was surprised"What?"

"I'm more experienced with the knowledge of other worlds. Plus, we need to stop Saxito. So... can I join you guys?" requested Taios.

"Sure, no problem" beamed Sora.

Yuna smiled"The more the merrier."

Taios grinned"So when are we leaving?"

"Right now" replied the Paladin.

"Well, let's be on our way, then" said Sora.

Felix acknowledged them"You are welcome back in Weyard anytime, Sora."

"Thanks" Sora grinned"Taios, need help getting around? Cosmos gave us the ability to teleport between worlds."

Taios nodded"Sure. I could use the transportation. I mean, each time I travel between universes, I go through tears in the fabric of reality."

Serenia was curious"How did you get here, then?"

Taios flushed as he pulled out a star shard keychain to show them"How I got here is... a little complicated.."

Sora was amazed"Whoa, amazing. So that's some kind of transportation device?"

"My dad, mom and Uncle Terra used Keyblade Gliders at some point. Is that how the star thingy works?" Tyler asked.

Taios nodded"It's a special keyblade star shard Master Yen Sid made for me whenever I'm on my own glider. It helps me go through wormholes to dimensional universes."

Serenia gasped"Incredible."

"Well, if we're ready, we should go find the remaining shards. That means going to the next world. We ready to warp?" asked Sora.

Cecil nodded"Indeed."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in the Dark Corridor, Saxito yawned as he relaxed"Man, this was waay to easy. And I got the dawn shard."<p>

The Nobody wasn't alone, however. Not too far away, Lumaria and Arlene had been preparing for their assault on Radiant Garden. They were unaware of Saxito's presence for a moment.

Saxito looked around until he grinned upon seeing the duo""wow... never thought I'd see the day. The gay man and the meathead's somebodies."

The blond former nobody felt that Saxito was watching and turned to see him"Hm?"

Lumaria frowned as he felt the same presence"Go on ahead to Radiant Garden, Arlene. I have a weed to cut, yet the aura I sense is that of number fifteen, Saxito... If I recall."

Arlene scoffed"You telling me that key-slinging brat Saxito is here, too?"

Saxito smirked"Oh goodie, you remember me. Then I don't have to waste time with introductions. I'm gonna need to use you again."

Arlene glanced at Saxito"And why would we help you, when you had to get us killed by sora?!"

"Because I have a plan far more greater than what Yoran is paying you to do... I want you help me destroy the true kingdom hearts" said Saxito.

Lumaria thought for a moment"Destroy the true Kingdom Hearts... Ah. You aim high, I give you that. But... What's in it for me?"

"An army of brutal and ruthless soldiers, a lifetime of munny and riches so that you can live as comfortably as you and the meathead want, and last but not least... a chance of true revenge against Sora... since I know all the weaknesses of said heroes, we can manipulate them to do whatever the hell we want" replied the Nobody.

Lumaria slowly grinned"Heh. We have a deal."

Arlene shrugged"I suppose I'll go along with it. But if you cross us just one more time... I cannot be held responsible. Lumaria and I still retain some of our Nobody powers, just so you know."

Saxito grinned widely. As if Arlene could even scratch him, regardless if she still had her thunder magic"Excellent."

"One more thing, you will help us kidnap Kairi. I must also warn you that Yoran has an extremely powerful warrior on his side: Caius Ballad" explained Lumaria.

Saxito smirked"Oh, no need to ask me to do that. I intend to. That way, Sora will have no choice but to cooperate as my pawn."

Lumaria nodded"We are in agreement, then."

* * *

><p>Finally, this is probably one of the longest chapters I've done. Well, the real big bad has shown himself. Yoran will still have a major role, but will be more of an anti-hero from this point. Feral Chaos and Caius will have their importance as well, but I won't say more due to spoilers.<p>

Please feel free to review.


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